


Never Too Late

by IhaveAbadfeelingAboutThis



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: DMLE, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Duelling as Foreplay, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Smut, Grief/Mourning, HEA, House Elves, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-05
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-10-10 18:30:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 47,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20532614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IhaveAbadfeelingAboutThis/pseuds/IhaveAbadfeelingAboutThis
Summary: Starts at the end of Crimes of Grindelwald -Newt, worried about his brother, and not able to care for him himself, arranges for Theseus to take bereavement leave - and to spend his three weeks off assisting DADA professor Albus Dumbledore.Albus and Theseus each have their own reasons to not be entirely comfortable with this arrangement.The title of the work is taken from the last thing that Albus says to Leta:"It is never too late to free yourself. Confession is a relief, I'm told. A great weight lifted. Regret is my constant companion. Do not let it be yours."





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So - to reassure my GG/AD friends - I remain dedicated to that pairing, but -  
Unless I am wanting to write Angsty Ever After, my options there are exclusively off-canon  
(And I will for sure keep writing off-canon, so that I can make my boys happy.)
> 
> That said -  
Watching Crimes of Grindelwald, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was (or could be) there between Albus and Theseus - and if Albus might be happy for a little while, rather than pining for nearly 100 years (as canon would have it), then I thought I'd give it to him.
> 
> One last reassurance - This is fully written, so it will in no way affect my posting schedule for The Greater Good.

Chapter 1  
Friday

Theseus was not sure why they were all following Newt and Dumbledore into the castle. He had explicitly told Travers to let them speak to one another alone, but Travers had given them all of three minutes!  
Dumbledore looked over his shoulder. Somehow, he could make his expressions look pointed even at a distance. He stopped, swept his eyes over the odd assembly, made eye contact with Theseus, and slightly raised one eyebrow.  
Theseus watched as Dumbledore turned and spoke to Newt. Newt nodded and started walking away from Hogwarts, and from Dumbledore.

Theseus looked at his baby brother as he approached. He had missed his shy, tender-hearted, mischievous brother for years, but he would have preferred even closed-off, distant, disappointed Newt to the grim and grieving, battle-hardened man he saw before him. It wasn’t right. What was the point in war if you lost what you were fighting for in the first place? ‘War hero.’ What did that even mean?

Newt began speaking while he was still walking towards them.  
“Professor Dumbledore has agreed to help work on the problem of how to defeat Grindelwald. But it may take him awhile.  
“I think we’re done here, and I’m exhausted. I’ll be going back to my flat.”  
He turned to Travers. “I imagine that you are giving Theseus bereavement leave. Three weeks, I think, would do it.”  
Theseus looked up at Newt, alarmed. “What? Newt!”  
Newt looked sternly at his brother and took him by the sleeve.  
“Pardon me, Tina, Jacob, Nagini… et cetera.” He gestured dismissively at the several people he had not deemed worthy of a mention. 

Newt led Theseus off towards the balustrade. Scotland was beautiful this time of year. The thought seemed somehow distant to Theseus, as if he were standing outside himself watching himself remember what it used to feel like to notice something was beautiful.  
“Leta worked with you at the Ministry. I don’t want you going back there, being surrounded by people asking impertinent questions, pretending to care when they are really just spectators. Travers owes you – and he can give you a break from being a spectacle.”  
He hadn’t thought about that. Newt was right – going to the Ministry while all of this was still in the papers would be a parade of misery. But staying home sounded no better.  
“But – what if Travers fires me?”  
“What if he does, Theseus? Is _this_ really how you want to fight Grindelwald?”

Theseus sighed. Three days ago he couldn’t have imagined feeling this way, but – he would almost rather Travers fire him than that he would have to return to being an Auror in three weeks’ time.  
“What would I possibly do with that much time?”  
“You will stay here. Dumbledore has invited you to stay at Hogwarts, and, if you like, assist him with his Defence classes.”  
“I’d wager that Professor Dumbledore made no such offer – you suggested it, and he can’t say no to you.”  
Oh, well done, Theseus. That didn’t sound petulant at all.

“First Grindelwald and now you!”  
“What’s this about Grindelwald?”  
“It’s nothing more than what you already know, Theseus. It doesn’t matter. I just wish people would stop accusing me of having some sort of inappropriate – “  
“Newt. I was merely suggesting that Dumbledore can’t say no to you because he feels badly that he wasn’t able to stop you being expelled…  
“But since you mention it, there isn’t anything between you and him – like that – is there?”  
Newt sighed and shook his head. “Neither of us is interested ‘like that’, Thee.” 

Theseus pulled Newt in for a hug. “Well, if that’s the case, you are a very wise man – and he’s a damn fool.” Theseus, for his part, was a complete idiot.  
“He does want you here, you know? He could use the company.”  
“Even if he did need company, Newt, he wouldn’t choose me. But since you think I should, I’ll stay.”  
Given all the times his little brother had been right not to listen to him in the past few months, Theseus owed it to Newt to give his ideas a chance for once.

//////////

From the start, it had been quite clear exactly how much the Professor had wanted Theseus at Hogwarts. By the time Theseus had taken his leave from his brother and the others, Dumbledore was nowhere to be seen. A house elf had met Theseus just inside the castle and shown him to his room – the sole occupied room on an empty corridor.  
Still, Dumbledore made no appearance.  
Theseus missed dinner in the Great Hall – rather, he didn’t go, because he wasn’t sure if he was invited or where he would sit, since no wizard had bothered explaining anything to him. Instead, he called the house elf to bring him his dinner, which he ate alone in his room. It was humiliating. 

In any case, he had brought nearly nothing with him – he had come straight from Paris, and he had not been intending to stay there long either – he had a partial change of clothes and a handful of potions in his coat pocket, and that was all. He may as well head home. It was no less lonely here, and at least there he had his clothes, his bed, his favourite tea, his books – and, most importantly, a well-stocked liquor cabinet.  
He summoned the elf once more and asked her to show him to Professor Dumbledore’s quarters.

When the Professor answered the door, he had the nerve to look pleasantly surprised.  
“Theseus. Won’t you come in?”  
“Thank you, but no. I was only stopping by to take my leave. I appreciate you arranging a room for me – I’m sorry Newt put you in that position –“  
“He didn’t –“  
“Don’t deny it, Dumbledore – you wouldn’t have offered if he hadn’t asked.”

They were both quiet for a moment.

“Albus.”  
No. No no no. “What?”  
“I trust I’m not a suspect anymore – call me Albus.”  
Theseus sighed. “Albus, then.”  
It didn’t much matter what he called him – he was leaving. 

“I’m not sure what Newt told you, but I will be just fine at home.” He couldn’t help following it with, “Better than I’ll be down a forgotten hallway.”  
Dumbledore looked conscience-stricken. Great. Pity was just what he wanted from the man. Perfect.  
“Don’t go just yet. I haven’t had a chance to talk to you in a long time. Come in?”  
Theseus stared at Albus for several seconds, trying to figure out if there was a gracious way to refuse, but he decided that there wasn’t. “Yes, alright.”

Theseus took off his coat and sat in a chair by the fire.  
“Tea?”  
“I don’t suppose you have any firewhiskey.”  
Albus looked at him, considering.  
“If you start drinking, will you be able to stop?”  
Not stopping sounded pretty good, actually.  
“Albus, you are not that much older than me. I am 40, for Merlin’s sake! You are not my professor. You only taught me for a year, and that was a long time ago. Stop ordering people around as if you were their superior!”

Albus sighed. “It was a long time ago indeed. We are a couple of old wizards,” he said, laughing softly.  
“Very well – but if you are planning on drinking yourself into oblivion, you will be stuck here tonight. I don’t have access to the Hogwarts floo system, and I don’t want you making the walk to the gate, much less apparating, if you are falling down drunk.  
“I won’t make you go back to that room – it makes perfect sense that isolation is not what you need right now. You can sleep in my bed, and I’ll stay out here on the couch.”

This was going from bad to worse. _‘You can sleep in my bed?’_ For fuck’s sake.

“I can sleep on the couch as well as you can, Dumbledore.”  
It came out more combative than he had intended.  
Dumbledore smiled beneficently at him.  
“Albus, remember?”  
Gods, Theseus hated that smile. He thought of it as Dumbledore’s ‘permanent state of complete occlusion’ smile. That smile was its own warning.  
“I am sure that you are quite capable of sleeping on a couch. But if you sleep out here, you might be too tempted to walk out in the morning without saying goodbye, and I would like the privilege of at least giving you some tea in the morning.”

Gracious refusal? Denied. Again.

Theseus chose to ignore that he could easily have just had tea instead, and been free to excuse himself in an hour or two. Or, at least, he did not examine too closely his desire to get drunk with Albus Dumbledore.

////////////

Theseus was starting whiskey number six, and Albus was just finishing his second. Not that Theseus had been counting. 

“She said she loved me, you know. Just before she killed herself. She looked at me and said, ‘I love you.’”  
“Theseus, I –“  
“Of course, Newt was standing right next to me, she could have meant Newt.” Theseus took another swallow. “She didn’t mean Newt, but I wish she had.”

“I’m sorry – You wish she had meant Newt?”  
“He loved her, she loved me. It was a mess. She – she needed me. She needed to love someone and have that person want to take care of her. She was a good person with a shitty life. And she was right, I would have taken better care of her than Newt. He’s – in love with every living thing. He couldn’t have given even a quarter of his attention to her, and she was –“

Theseus lifted his glass to his mouth, and finding it empty, accio-ed the bottle of whiskey – which was also empty. He hurled it into the fireplace in frustration.  
“She was fucking emotional quicksand, and it is a relief that I don’t have to marry her, and the fact that I feel that so soon after her death – a death she died largely for me, by the way – is going to haunt me forever. I am a fucking selfish bastard who had a beautiful, attentive woman, who was literally willing to die for me, and I couldn’t love her.”  
‘Not like I loved you,’ went unsaid. Albus wasn’t the only man Theseus had ever loved – just the first, but it was not like Albus knew that he was even on the list. Probably. 

They were both silent.  
Albus was the one to speak first. “You can’t make yourself feel something you don’t feel.”  
No, thought Theseus, looking at Albus with a frown, nor can you make yourself not feel something you do feel.  
Time to make his exit before he said something stupid like that out loud. And anyway, there was no more liquor.  
“Good night, Albus.”  
Theseus stood, walked to Albus’ bedroom, and shut the door.  
Standing in Albus’ bedroom, he realized that for all the times he had imagined himself in this man’s bed, he hadn’t once imagined he’d be in it alone.

Theseus stripped down to his pants, climbed into bed, and promptly passed out.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
Saturday

The first thing Theseus noticed when he woke was his head. It was too painful, too heavy, and too loud altogether. His mouth felt sticky. And for some reason he – smelled sandalwood? He opened his eyes slowly. Fuck. This was not his bed. No, this would be Albus’ bed. 

He reached for the vial of hangover potion on the bedside table. There were perks to being an Auror. This stuff wasn’t on the open market yet. He drank the potion and chased it with a glass of water. Good enough – time to face Dumbledore.

But when Theseus was finally ready and entering the sitting room, he was greeted by an unexpected sight: Albus was sprawled awkwardly on the sofa, or, rather, half-on the sofa, a shoe in his hand. There was an upside-down footstool, and beside it, an unbroken, nearly empty bottle laying open on its side, a small puddle of whiskey beneath it. It was the sort of scene that you could usually count on a house-elf to tidy up after, particularly if you had a guest present, and Hogwarts had plenty of elves. Conclusion: after Theseus had gone to bed, Albus had summoned a house-elf to bring him another bottle of fire-whiskey, had somehow pissed off said house-elf, and was being punished for his transgression in a most house-elfish (which was to say, extravagantly passive-aggressive) way.  
Additionally, what Theseus saw told him that Dumbledore was sufficiently unpracticed in heavy drinking that he had not been prepared to do so. There was no tumbler near at hand, so he must have been drinking straight from the bottle.  
Sometimes Theseus hated being an Auror. Right now, he did not need his brain working overtime solving little mysteries about Albus Dumbledore. 

He thought briefly about calling for breakfast, but what would he do after that? Watch Albus sleep? He needed something to _do_. Newt had promised that there would be things here for him to do. Clearly he was not going to be talking about lesson plans with the passed out man on the sofa.  
Wait – lesson plans? When had he decided he was staying?  
Probably when he had realized that he had three weeks of nothing stretching out before him, and that 36 hours ago, he had seen several people die – including almost all of the Aurors in his charge, together with his fiancée, who was not incidentally the woman that his brother was still in love with. She had only been in Paris because Theseus had brought her there. She had only been in the mausoleum because he had asked her to look for the records. He did not need three weeks alone to think about all of that, uninterrupted. 

But right now, there were no distractions here, either.  
He would cook breakfast. Doing it the Muggle way would take some time.

He was just plating the fry-up when he heard a groan from the sitting room.  
“toooooo briiiiight….” Sweet Merlin, was that croaking – Albus’ voice?  
“Yes, Albus, that would be the sun,” Theseus called from the kitchen, none too sympathetically. He put a stasis charm on the plates, and walked into the sitting room, carrying a glass of water.

He went over to the sofa and put his hand on Albus’ shoulder.  
“Albus –“  
“Noooo – you’ll burn breakfast –“  
“Breakfast is plated, numpty.” He held out a vial, “Here, take this.”  
Albus sat up slowly. He looked at the vial suspiciously, then looked at Theseus with his eyes narrowed, as if Theseus might be trying to poison him.  
“What is it?”  
“It is a potion that removes the symptoms of hangover. Newly developed. Standard issue to Aurors – never know when we’re going to be called in – they can’t expect us to never go to the pub again, but they also don’t want us showing up hungover. There’s a sobering potion as well.”  
“Who wants to be sober?”  
“Well said, sir. I see you ordered out for more whiskey after I went to bed.” He held up the bottle. 

“I believe, Theseus, that you told me last night that, as a 40 year old, you should be allowed to determine exactly how drunk you might get. I am 47, so – so – hand me that vial, you intolerable wizard.”  
“Hmm. I should probably give you the sober up instead – you seem still a bit intoxicated.”  
Albus scowled.  
“Fine. Take them both then. But this one first.”  
Theseus handed Albus the sober-up, then the hangover potion. Albus stared at them long enough that Theseus thought he might be reconsidering, but at last he swallowed them both in turn. He sat up and began stretching.

“Right then. This ‘intolerable wizard’ just fixed your head and made you breakfast. Get up here before I decide to take off the stasis charm and let it get cold.”  
Albus had the decency to look chastened.  
“You’re right. Sorry about that. Thanks for the potions. Dangerous stuff. No reason not to drink yourself to oblivion every night, with potions like that around.”  
Except for the usual reasons not to drink yourself to oblivion each night. What the hell had gotten into the man? Perhaps he was needing company after all?  
“Hmm. Well, I’m not here all the time, and my supply is not limitless, so don’t make a habit of it.”

/////////////

“You were humming,” said Albus, after swallowing the last of his fried tomato.  
“Humming? When?”  
“When you were cooking, I suppose. When I woke up, I smelled fry-up and I heard humming.”  
Theseus hadn’t noticed. He usually only hummed when he was alone and content, and it seemed perverse that he could be feeling content at the moment.  
“I like cooking. I learned how to do it the Muggle way just after the war. It was good to have something to do that took so much attention, and that had such immediate positive results.”  
“Hmm.” Dumbeldore was staring at the oven, strangely. What was he thinking of?

“I’m sorry about the Admonitors.”  
“What?” Albus turned towards him, “No, I understand. I didn’t like it, but I understand. It wasn’t your decision anyway. Thanks for removing them.”  
“Sure… So. Grindelwald?”  
Albus’ eyes narrowed. “That was a clumsy transition for an Auror, Theseus. Disappointing, really.”  
It had been. It really had been. But he hadn’t wanted to say something like, ‘Are you ok?’ or ‘I’m worried about you.’ Theseus didn’t want to hear that from anybody – why would Albus want to hear it?

“I’m not asking as an Auror, Albus.”  
“Oh? Then what are you asking as?”  
“Look. You drank more than I did last night. You were staring at the oven earlier as if it were a pensieve. I can’t help but wonder… I know that you wouldn’t be this upset about Leta – it’s something else.”  
And I get the feeling you don’t have anyone to take care of you – not even the house-elves, after whatever it is you did last night. Or maybe they already hated you. Let me take care of you dammit. I don’t have anyone to take care of anymore.

“And if I am going to be working with you for the next couple of weeks…”  
Albus relaxed incrementally. “Are you? Going to be staying? Last night you had one foot out the door – both feet, nearly.”  
“I’m not sure. Are you still teaching Defence? How did that happen?”  
“Just because Travers gives an order doesn’t mean that everyone just falls into line.”  
Theseus’ lip twitched.

“Well, I’ve had time to think about it, and helping teach Defence would be a good distraction. And who’s to say that I want to keep taking orders from Travers myself?”  
Albus laughed, “Looking to take my job from me then?”  
Theseus shook his head, “Never. You were the best professor I ever had. I would have washed out of Auror training in the first month if it hadn’t been for taking NEWT level Defence from you.”  
“I doubt that seriously, Theseus. A student as talented as yourself comes perhaps once a decade.”  
This was getting awkward.

“Thank you for feeding me, Theseus. I apologize for my rudeness last night and this morning.”  
“For this morning, you are forgiven. For last night, there is nothing to forgive.”  
Nice. More awkward by half.  
Albus stood. “I imagine I look a fright.”  
He looked delicious, but mercifully Theseus managed to keep his mouth shut, thereby managing to avoid achieving maximum awkwardness.

“If you will excuse me, I need to change out of yesterday’s clothes,” Albus continued. “You will still be here when I return?”  
Gods, yes, he would be here – because clearly he had lost all sense of self-preservation.

“I have nowhere to go. I don’t want to go back to my flat just yet, and Newt doesn’t have room for me at the moment.” The nutter had taken in Jacob, Tina, _and_ Nagini. Typical.  
“Last night, when I was leaving? I was just going to get a room at the Hog’s Head. I’ll be here.”  
Albus nodded, and left.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the lovely, involved, active Theseus/Albus community - may your OTP catch on with more people, so that many more fics might be contributed to your corner of the fandom. Thanks for the support!
> 
> This one is a little angsty, but what are you going to do? They're both a little raw and on edge from recent events, not to mention fighting their feelings for one another. They'll get their act together soon.

Chapter 3  
Saturday, Part 2

It didn’t take long to clean the kitchen, so he began to peruse Albus’ bookshelves. He had no photographs, nor any personal mementos, which was odd. He had run across a handful of living spaces with no photographs, but only in the course of investigations. There were a few things that sterility might be a sign of, none of them good.  
Theseus turned away from the shelves in hopes of breaking that train of thought. Albus was not a puzzle to be solved – he was there for mutual company and distraction for the next three weeks, and that was all. It was essential not to get invested.  
‘As if you’re not invested already,’ his disappointed conscience commented.  
‘Shut up,’ he replied.  
He retreated to the kitchen to begin planning what he needed to do, and to make himself a cup of hot tea.  
He made a cup for Albus too, and left it floating outside of his bedroom door.

Theseus heard the bedroom door open, and Albus’ voice calling out, “You made me tea?”  
“The anti-hangover potion can do a lot, but it can’t outright cure dehydration. You have to do that the old-fashioned way. I made it the way you like it – too much sugar if you ask me.”  
Albus raised an eyebrow. “Alright, then, mother.”  
He took a sip. “How did you know how I take my tea?”  
Because I spent an alarming amount of time watching you at the Staff Table every mealtime for a year of my life.  
“Lucky guess. I remembered you have a sweet-tooth, so –“

That might have been half believable if he had not started by saying, ‘made it the way you like it.’ Albus looked from his cup to Theseus and cocked his head, but mercifully did not question him further.  
Well, that had been stupid. Time to change the subject. 

“How do you rate a kitchen, anyway? I would have thought that all of the professors were meant to rely on the school kitchen. I would expect the Headmaster to have a kitchen, since his family lives here with him, but…”  
“I’m really not sure. The castle gave it to me, I suppose. My Muggle grandmother taught me to bake. I am a nicer person altogether when I have access to an oven.”  
They stood there silently for a bit.

“I know that I said that I didn’t want to go back to my flat, but when you were in your room, I remembered that I didn’t bring anything with me. I’m wearing the same clothes as I did yesterday. And I don’t think I want to rely on cleansing charms the whole time I’m here, however long that is.”  
“I see –“  
“So I need to pick up a few things, and –“  
Gods, this was difficult. He was going to sound like a child.  
“I understand if you are too busy today, but if not, then it would be helpful if –“  
“Theseus, I –“  
“You see, Leta had already begun moving in some of her things, and –“  
“Theseus, yes. Yes, I’ll go with you. Shall we walk to the Three Broomsticks and use their floo?”

The Three Broomsticks? Why hadn’t Theseus thought about how he was going to get to London before he asked? He had seen the Prophet this morning, breaking the news from Paris. There was even a photo of himself and Leta. 'Read more about their doomed love on page 3.'  
“I’d rather not – see people just yet. I’ll side-along you, if you don’t mind?”

Albus adjusted the cuff of his right shirt sleeve. It was his ‘working on an intractable problem’ tell.  
Why should Albus be troubled? Theseus was the one who was going to be holding (no – _holding on to_ – he could just grab his elbow or something – no need to be dramatic – he was going to be _holding on to_) the man who had featured in his fantasies for more than twenty years, and apparating him directly into his flat.  
“I’ll just ask a house elf to bring me my things. It’s no problem.”  
Albus looked at him. “No Theseus, it’s fine. I’ll go with you. I will just collect my hat and coat and we can walk to the apparition point.”  
Right. This would be fine.

///////////

“Where do you need me to be?” Albus had asked not long after they had arrived, and Theseus hadn’t known how to answer. He wished he had asked Newt to meet him here instead. No, Newt was probably doing whatever it was that Newt did when he needed to feel better. Wrestling a nundu? Who knew? Whatever it was, Theseus refused to suggest that his grief deserved precedence over Newt’s. Theseus was one of the only people in the world who knew that Newt had more to grieve over than Theseus did – it wasn’t right to take that from him, just because Theseus was uncomfortable around Albus. 

In the end, he had sent Albus to the kitchen to make them both tea. It felt wrong having him in his bedroom. Leta had never been in his bedroom. Now she never would. Yes, it was a relief, not having to share his bed with a woman, but still, they’d been engaged, and this would have been her bed in just a few months. He probably needed to sell the flat. Start fresh.

He selected some clothing, cufflinks, potions, shoes. With a wave of his wand, the items packed themselves neatly in his case.  
He went into the sitting room and collected a couple of books and a camera, and met Albus in the kitchen. Albus’ sleeves were rolled up, his coat, vest, and tie had been removed, and his top shirt buttons were unbuttoned. Theseus stared. It was the most undressed he had seen the man. 

“Ah! Theseus! Would it be alright with you if I were to open a window? I would cast a cooling charm, but they feel unnatural to me.”  
“Sure. Of course.”  
Theseus turned around and faced the cabinet, trying to get his breathing under control. 

“You may bake, but it is clear that you don’t cook. You don’t even have pepper! I am going to bring some things from my kitchen with me, so that I can make dinner for you tonight.”  
“That’s really not necessary, Theseus. I’m happy to eat in the Great Hall.”  
“Yes, well, I’m not. Not yet.” Theseus turned around. “Stay in with me?”  
Albus was silent for a moment, then cleared his throat. “Staying in will be fine.”  
Albus walked a bit closer, and Theseus braced himself.  
“The sugar bowl, Theseus. If I may?”  
Right. He was standing right in front of the sugar bowl. Theseus stepped out of the way and walked to the table. 

“Did you get what you needed?”  
Have I ever gotten what I needed? Or just taken what people have expected of me?  
“Yes, I’m all packed, thank you. When we’ve finished with the tea, we can go back.”

“Actually, Theseus… I’m very sorry to presume, but – my mother and my sister died within months of each other, the summer after I graduated from Hogwarts.”  
Theseus actually knew that – it was a matter of public record. But that was not a very human thing to say, so instead he said, “I’m sorry to hear that.”  
“Yes. Well. I learned that delay does not make taking care of someone’s effects any easier. You said that Leta had left some things here?”  
“Oh – not much – just some books, and some dishes. Her favourite tea. There were some engagement presents – I don’t know – do those get returned?”  
“No – clothes, or –“

“What? No! Why would she have any clothes here? She lived with my mother!”  
“I had been under the impression that sometimes, men and women, when they are engaged –“  
Theseus slammed down his tea cup.  
“If you are fishing, Albus Dumbledore, you are doing it in a tasteless way at an inappropriate time. And if you are not, then in that case I apologize for having mistaken this uncharacteristic social awkwardness for intentional rudeness.”

Albus cleared his throat. “I would say that I have no idea what you are talking about, but –“  
“But you are aware that, before my engagement to Leta, I had not been known to be romantically involved with any other women.”  
“And that there were rumours that you had been in relationships with men. Yes, I had heard that.”  
Theseus didn’t answer, nor did he look at Albus. Instead, he fixed his cracked teacup, cleaned up the spill, and poured himself a new cup.

“I wasn’t ‘fishing’ Theseus. I was trying to make the apartment easier for you to return to, and I didn’t want you to forget anything that you might unearth later, inevitably on an already bad day. But I will admit that my comment about pre-marital relations was not appropriate, and just covering my own – discomfort.”  
“Discomfort.”  
This time, Albus chose neither to respond nor to elaborate.

Yes, this had been a capital idea. Let’s do it again Tuesday, shall we? Oh yes, let’s.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Among other things, Theseus confronts Albus about Newt. Nobody - not even Albus - gets to mess with his baby brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, somehow, this developed a 'Albus is terrible with house elves' subplot

Chapter 4  
Saturday, Part 3

“So, I imagine I would need a proper box for Leta’s things. And I would have to know where I was taking them…”  
“What I was going to suggest, since you said that there isn’t much of it, was to collect it all in one place – on the kitchen table here, for instance, or on your sofa. Then you would know exactly how much there is to work through. You don’t have to decide what to do with it today, but knowing how much of it there is makes the task seem more manageable.”

“Thank you, Albus. That is a good idea. I’m sorry I –“  
“You had every right, Theseus. Nothing about this is easy. It is not for me to allow my feelings to take precedence over yours. You are the one who lost someone two days ago.”  
Not even two whole days. Just over 18 hours.  
“Yes, well… we can argue about who gets to have feelings later.”  
Theseus paused, gave a pained smile, and continued, “I believe that I had implied it before, but I can affirm that there is nothing for us to look for in the bedroom. It shouldn’t take us long to go through the sitting room, the kitchen area, and the front hall.”

The collection of Leta’s things was pitifully small. An umbrella, a framed photograph, three books, a quill, a porcelain tea set, and a tin half filled with lapsang souchong leaves.

“I had forgotten – the engagement gifts were being delivered to mother – I will ask her to take care of it. And I will need to find out about Leta’s estate – who these things belong to, and if I have any responsibilities for her other effects. But I think I’m on safe ground disposing of the tea. Leta was the only person I knew who liked this smoky stuff. Do you -?”  
“No, definitely not. Perhaps the Headmaster - ? I don’t know. It looks like high quality tea. It seems wrong to bin it.”  
“I would never do that. No, I was thinking of giving it to the elf you offended.”

“The elf I – what elf did I offend?”  
“You tell me, Albus. Whatever elf you summoned to bring you a bottle of firewhiskey last night, I’d wager.”  
“Oh, no. Mipsy.”  
“Mipsy? Sweet little elf with the butter yellow pillowcase? She was the elf who brought me dinner last night, and then took me to your door when I was – oh no.”  
Theseus now recalled muttering, ‘Fine, Professor I-can’t-be-bothered-to-say-hello-to-a-grieving-man Dumbledore – I’ll just let a room at the pub where I’m welcome!’ as Mipsy was showing him to Albus’ door. Of all people, Theseus ought to have known Mipsy would be listening. He _had_ known. And he had accused _the elf_ of being passive-aggressive.

“Albus, I’m sorry. This might be my doing.”  
“No, I can’t let you take responsibility for this. I drunkenly mis-called her Tipsy…”  
He had not been anything close to drunk when Theseus had left him, and there had been no more liquor in the apartment. Either Albus’ definition of ‘drunk’ encompassed an absurdly broad range, or he thought even a low level of intoxication constituted an excuse for bad behaviour.  
Theseus sighed, but managed to stop himself before he rolled his eyes.

“And I suggested she was being disobedient when she merely repeated the word ‘firewhiskey’ when I asked her to bring me a bottle. And I told her that she needn’t be so judgmental. How did you know?”  
“The state of your sitting room this morning.”  
Albus looked intrigued, but Theseus did not see the need to elaborate. There were more pressing matters at hand.  
“That certainly solves the mystery of why she doesn’t like you at the moment. And she deserves a great deal more than Leta’s leftover tea. Come to think of it, my mother will probably appreciate having the tea as a remembrance. As for Mipsy – you are really in the soup with her. We will need to bring her something else. Some flowers, maybe.”

“Flowers? For an elf?”  
“Sometimes. What will do the trick depends on the elf. But there is a usual formula: a small gift for themselves, a small gift for them to share with one of their favourite humans, and a task that demonstrates complete faith in their judgment. In that order.  
“Troilus!”  
An elf in a coral pink toga popped into view before Theseus.  
“Master Theseus, sir! The Mistress is so worried for you!”  
“That’s alright, Troilus. You can tell her that I am well, and that I am staying at Hogwarts.”

“You is not being well, Master! Troilus knows everythings about Mistress Leta! Do not lie to Troilus!”  
Theseus sighed. “No, you are right Troilus, I am not well. But Newt got the next few weeks off from work for me, so that I can help Professor Dumbledore at the school, and that should be a good distraction.”  
Troilus scowled. “The Mister Dumbledore that be sending Master Newt to be arrested?”  
“Ah – that was – I think a misunderstanding.”  
It had not been anything like a ‘misunderstanding’, but there was no need to air that in front of Troilus. It was clear he already disliked Albus.  
Theseus was beginning to suspect that Albus had a lot of house elves to buy gifts for – in homes all over England.

“I’m needing your help, Troilus.”  
“You is _needing_ to be calling your Mother, Master Theseus.”  
“Quite right, Troilus. I certainly will. After lunch this afternoon.”  
“You is visiting?”  
“No, I will be floo calling only.”  
“This is being not good, but Master Theseus is very young still, so is forgiven.”  
Theseus suppressed a smile – he didn’t want to offend the old elf.  
“Thank you, Troilus. I appreciate your good humour. Can you help me figure out an apology gift for an elf?”  
“Not again, Master Theseus! What has you been doing?!”

‘Not again’? That was a bit of a hyperbole, wasn’t it?  
“It wasn’t me, Troilus. It was, umm…”  
“Oh – that naughty Mister Dumbledore, of course. Which elf?”  
Albus, ill-advisedly, interrupted with some impatience. “Her name is Mipsy.”

Troilus looked scandalized to have been addressed by Mister Dumbledore, Notorious Disrespecter of Elves. But, as he did not answer to That Man, he turned to Theseus for confirmation.  
“Well, yes, most pressingly, the elf called Mipsy, who is one of the faculty elves at Hogwarts, is deserving of the traditional apology gifts. He offended her last night,” and maybe other times as well, but definitely last night.  
“But – I would appreciate it if you could let me know if you hear of any other elves that Professor Dumbledore may have offended, in order that we might instruct the Professor in the proper treatment of house-elves, and the art of making amends?”

Troilus shook his head, and spoke in a discouraged sounding voice: “The list is being long, Master.”  
Albus looked offended. Theseus needed to get Troilus out of there before he – or worse, Albus – said anything problematic.  
“That will be fine, Troilus. Thank you very much. If you wish, you may let Mother know I’ll be calling her at 1:30.”  
Troilus nodded curtly to Theseus, but pointedly ignored Albus. Then he popped out of sight.

Albus’ jaw grew tight as he turned his head and looked at the floor. Then he laughed emptily, mockingly. Oh no. This was the angry explosion masquerading as mild ridicule, which in turn was masquerading as disbelieving, tender admonishment. A matryoshka of anger and disappointment.  
“The proper treatment of house elves, Theseus?”  
Albus looked up and met Theseus’ eyes with his own now colder and narrow ones. His voice became eerily quieter. “What is it that you think you can teach me about the art of making amends?”

It was a rare day that one had the opportunity to unsettle Albus Dumbledore. Unlike in his encounter with Travers earlier in the week, Dumbledore was both in the wrong here, and utterly blindsided. Theseus recognized that a wrong-footed Albus was a vulnerable Albus – and a vulnerable Albus was an opportunity not to be wasted.

Theseus opened his case, as if checking what he had packed. “If you continue to do such a poor job of veiling your threats towards me, Albus, it is going to upset Troilus. And you already have a long way to go with him, given your treatment of Newt.”  
“My treatment of Newt?”  
“We’ll get back to that.”  
“Theseus, I would never – I adore Newt!”

Theseus snapped shut his case and looked up at Albus.  
“_Adore_ Newt, do you? That’s an interesting turn of phrase.”  
“Now see here. Newt is just a –“  
“Hapless wizard you manipulate into breaking international law as a proxy in your global game of chess with an ex-boyfriend?”

“Theseus –“  
“Grindelwald almost _killed_ him, you know. More than once. People think that Newt is sweet, innocent, and he is in a way – but he is also brilliant, principled, observant… he despises hypocrisy… he is notoriously difficult to bend to one’s will, and yet you – what hold is it that you have over him, Dumbledore?”  
“I don’t have any ‘hold over him’ – he just likes – going on adventures, especially if there is a creature that needs his help. I tell him where he can find one and he decides for himself.”

“Hmm. I, for one, believe you. I don’t like it, I’m not sure I’ll trust you around him for a while, but I believe you. Grindelwald on the other hand, has allowed his obsession with you to bleed into his interactions with Newt. Each time Grindelwald sees Newt – and Troilus more than has a point about this – the fact that Newt has ever met Grindelwald is entirely down to you – each time, Grindelwald has implied that you and Newt are in some kind of sexual relationship. Twice he has asked after you in an insinuating manner right before making an attempt on Newt’s life. Most recently, less than 48 hours ago. Once more, and we will be able to call it a pattern of behaviour.  
“So, I would be careful about how you express your _adoration_ for my brother. It is going to get him killed.”  
Theseus’ voice broke on the word ‘killed.’ He had seen so many people killed. He had been sure that his baby brother was going to be one of them. 

Albus looked slightly stunned.  
“I’m glad Newt was not – physically harmed. And I’m tremendously sorry about Leta.”  
“Leta’s death, at least, was not your fault, Albus. I’m still not entirely sure why she was at the rally at all. If it was anyone’s responsibility, it was mine.”  
“She wouldn’t want another Scamander to sacrifice himself on her altar, Theseus. Not really.”  
“So I shouldn’t be mourning her?!”  
“… is not remotely what I was saying. What I am saying is that she wasn’t your responsibility. Any more than she was Newt’s responsibility when he lied to keep her from being expelled. I’m not sure how much it actually helped her for him to do that. You said last night that she was a good person? I agree. And good people don’t like other people taking the punishment for things they have done.  
“Leta made a choice that got her killed – which is entirely different from killing herself, you need to stop saying that – Grindelwald is the one who killed her, no matter how she provoked him. She made the choice, and you are punishing yourself for _her choice_. Her death was not your fault.”

Theseus looked down at his shoes. He pulled out his wand and gave them a quick polish, and then looked up at Albus.  
“Well, now that we have both been thoroughly eviscerated… I only have an hour left before my mother is expecting me to floo.”  
He turned and walked back into the kitchen, then called over his shoulder, “Welsh Rabbit?”  
He didn’t wait for Albus’ response. If he didn’t like Welsh Rabbit, then he could find his own lunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone unfamiliar with it, Welsh Rabbit has no actual rabbit (or any other meat) in it -  
It is a thick savory cheese sauce over bread - the cheese is thinned with beer, and often seasoned with mustard.
> 
> In other news - I imagine I got the house elf grammar all wrong - I can never remember well enough to get it right. I hope it isn't too distracting.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
Saturday, Part 4

Albus suggested that he had errands to do, which was probably true (and certainly it was better, as long as Theseus was still working for the DMLE, if he didn’t know one way or the other), but Theseus imagined that he was leaving just as much for the purpose of allowing Theseus to speak to his mother privately. He was recovering with a cup of tea when Albus returned.

“Do you have a bit more time to spare? I was thinking of heading to the Lake District to clear my head, and I would like the company.” His mother had begged him to return home. It had not been a comfortable call in the least. Not that he had expected it to be.   
Albus didn't take any time to think about it. “Very well. I imagine we could both use the sunshine and fresh air.”

Theseus glanced at Albus’ feet. “Those shoes are not very sensible – shall we return to Hogwarts first to exchange them for walking shoes?”  
“I don’t have walking shoes – I have found cushioning charms to be sufficient.”  
“They are not at all sufficient. You need traction as well, and ideally ankle support. Better to transfigure a proper pair to size than to try and reproduce every necessary feature of a good shoe. I have a second pair you can borrow.”  
Albus laughed. “I had forgotten what a walker you are,” he said, in a tone of voice that suggested that instead, he had decidedly not forgotten.  
It was unusual for wizards to walk anywhere, if they could help it. At Hogwarts, Theseus had been known for walking for miles every weekend – and for nearly an hour before breakfast every morning. Perhaps Albus had indeed been paying attention.

//////////////////////

They had been walking quietly for more than an hour when they found the perfect place from which to view the lake and the mountains beyond. Albus took off his coat and transfigured it into a wooden bench, and together they sat and looked down into the valley. It was beautiful. Peaceful. His shoulder brushed up against Albus’, and neither pulled away.   
Leta was dead, and Theseus felt only guilt – and so little loss… That wasn’t true – he did feel loss, but little more than the pain that came from the death of anyone he fought alongside. Albus thought that he needed to let go of the guilt he felt for Leta’s death – it had been her choice, he said. Should he also not feel guilty over the deaths of the Aurors who followed him into that rally and never returned? If he let go of the guilt, what would he have left to feel for Leta? For anyone? 

He wondered if he should feel guilty for his desire for Albus. Most people would think he should, but he considered that this was not something he had any control over. In any case, he was not so much moving on too quickly as he was acknowledging something that had always been there. If Leta had been alive, this situation – being alone with Albus up a hill in the Lake District – would have been every bit as dangerous as it was now. But for Theseus, Leta was somehow more of a presence in death than she had been in life. It was strange to think that she wasn’t alive somewhere else – back at his mother’s house, or at work in the ministry…  
Had Leta ever been to the Lake District? Why hadn’t he taken her?

“You called Grindelwald my ex-boyfriend.”  
They had been silent so long that it took Theseus a moment to register that Albus was speaking to him.   
Grindelwald. Grindelwald who had killed Leta. Grindelwald who the man sitting beside him had loved. Or thought he loved.   
He had thought that the triangle with Newt was a mess – this was one hell of a square: Leta had loved Theseus, Theseus had loved Dumbledore, Dumbledore had loved Grindelwald, Grindelwald had killed Leta. 

“Theseus? What made you think Gellert and I were lovers?”  
“It’s obvious, isn’t it? You just called him Gellert, for one.”  
“We were friends –“  
“Yes, ‘closer than brothers,’ you said, in fact. You were quite distressed from the moment Travers brought him up. And you had a blood pact with him.”

Albus seemed surprised. “Newt told you about the blood pact?”  
“What? No. Lucky guess. The pendant I saw him take from his Niffler looked like a magical artefact, and Newt looked surprised, even shocked by it and hid it rather quickly, before I could get a good look at it – but then I remembered that you had said that you _couldn’t_ fight Grindelwald, which is not the same as saying that you _wouldn’t_. Hence, blood pact.”  
“Having a blood pact with Grindelwald could earn me worse than Admonitors if Law Enforcement knew about it.”  
“Yes, it could. Good thing I am off duty.”  
Albus nodded, though he did not seem satisfied.

“It was serious, you know. With Grindelwald.”  
“I should hope so. You know how many people I know who have made blood pacts? You. You are the only person on that list.”   
“I loved him.”

“Albus. How long were you with him? One month?”  
“Two months.”  
“Two months. Nearly thirty years ago. That is too long ago for so little time to matter so much. You didn’t know him well enough to be in love with him.”  
“It doesn’t take long –“  
“It does. Infatuation doesn’t take long. Love requires – knowing someone long enough to break free of one’s fixation on the few features that you have latched onto so that you can ignore that you are largely in a relationship with an ideal image of who you wish the person to be.   
“Two months is the perfect amount of time in which to deceive yourself as to the nature of the person you claim to love. Just enough time to feel sure of a reckless commitment that will likely result in disappointment for you both.”

Albus continued to look away, over the valley.  
“I should never have done it.”  
“You’re right. But you were what – seventeen? Eighteen? You are entitled to make mistakes, Albus. Even big mistakes. Especially when you haven’t much experience.”

Albus bowed his head. It looked like he didn’t agree. It didn’t matter at the moment – Theseus hadn’t expected him to let go of his self-recrimination that easily.  
“How did you know how long ago it was?”  
Everyone at DMLE knew now. Surely that was clear to Albus after Travers’ display in the Defence classroom. But Theseus could honestly say that no one had told him, because he was the one who had figured it out. He should have known that the only value Travers would see in the information was how it could be used to humiliate Dumbledore.

“Grindelwald has only been to England twice, so far as the DMLE can tell. The first was for two months in 1899. The second was too recent for you to have been in a relationship with him. I did have it wrong when I said ‘one month,’ though. I had not anticipated that you had met right away, or that you fell in with him so quickly. That was a mistake on my part – he is attractive, persuasive, and intelligent. It should have been obvious that you would have fallen for him right away.”

Albus was one of the smartest people Theseus knew. He rivalled Newt – they were so different in temperament, it might seem impossible to compare the two, but at least in persistence and clear-mindedness, they were a matched pair. He hated to see Albus thinking of himself as stupid. But there was really nothing Theseus could do to break him out of it.

“Shall we move on?” Albus asked.  
He likely meant, ‘let’s stop talking about Grindelwald,’ but Theseus decided to respond by – imagining that they had not been talking about Grindelwald.  
“No, this is a good spot,” Theseus said. “Let’s stay here a bit longer.”  
It _was_ a good spot. Theseus wanted to rest and enjoy the reflection of the clouds in the water, without the pressure of reassuring Albus or himself. He wanted the lake, the sky, the mountains, and the breeze to be their own reassurance – that beauty endured with or without their observation.  
“I think we should enjoy the moment until it has passed. It has been a long time since I have found a place so good to sit as this one. Nor a walk so good to reach it.”

Albus turned to look at Theseus and laughed. “When did you get so wise?”  
“Oh – sometime in the past 22 years. You missed it.”  
Albus sobered. “Yes, I did.”  
They just sat there, looking at the lake, leaning slightly against one another, until Albus declared that he was hungry.  
“I suppose that means it is time to head home,” Theseus said, not realizing until the words were out of his mouth that by ‘home,’ he had meant Albus’ rooms at Hogwarts.

/////////

After dinner, Albus dropped a pile of books on the kitchen table, together with several sheets of parchment. He sorted the books into seven piles, and smiled with the expression that Theseus had dubbed ‘insincere apology.’  
“It is Saturday evening already. If you are going to be participating in some of my classes this week, we should begin planning. I thought it would be helpful if, this week, you would be willing to speak to each of the classes about something that is part of their curriculum this year that you have actually used in the field. Give them a sense that there is a point to all this?”

This was exactly what Theseus had wanted – something to do. He was glad that they were getting to work.  
“Absolutely. And these are – the books for each year? You’ve put the textbooks for the other classes in these piles.”

“Yes! The students need to understand that Defence Against the Dark Arts is not really its own field, in isolation from other fields. Any defence that is based only on what they learned in Defence class will inevitably be inadequate.”  
“Right – the best Aurors draw on everything they know from any discipline to apply creatively to the unique situation they are in in the moment.”  
“Exactly. So – when you speak to each class, you could talk about something they have learned or will learn this year in Defence – but I’m just as happy for you to talk about Charms, or Transfiguration, or Herbology –“  
Theseus smirked. “Or Potions?”

“They are not going to stop and pull out a cauldron in the middle of a fight, Theseus.”  
“No. But –“  
“Skip potions, Theseus. They’re teenagers. They want to see action.”  
Theseus had never intended to talk about potions. He had just suspected that it would annoy Albus to suggest it.

Theseus looked off into the sitting room and tapped his quill against the table.   
“Ok. That’s easy. Which classes do you have Monday?”  
“I have half the First years, half the Fourth years, and a combined Sixth year class.”  
“And do you need me to do the whole class?”  
“No, this week I am just needing 15-20 minutes from you for the First through Sixth years, since I already had plans written.”

“And the Seventh years?”  
“I am scrapping the next three weeks’ plans for the Seventh years, in order to fully take advantage of you being here, starting with this Thursday’s double Defence session. Since NEWTS are a review of all seven years, I would like for you to give a complete lecture, bringing together what you talked about with all of the other classes, followed by a demonstration – a duel between you and I using only spells in the Hogwarts curriculum.” 

“That’s going to be – “  
Albus flashed his ‘affably arrogant’ smile. “If you are not getting ready to say, ‘brilliant,’ I’m not sure I want to hear it!”  
“Albus – I have something like 18 years of field experience, both as an Auror and as a soldier. The spells I’ve picked up – the spells I’ve invented! – they’ve become second nature to me. I’m not sure if I can adhere to a ‘Hogwarts spells only’ restriction in a duel. I don’t even know what spells those are, anymore.”

Albus gestured magnanimously. “Which is why I have collected all of these books for you!”  
Theseus balked. “Not everyone can read as quickly as you do! I take that back – I don’t think even you could read this quickly! There must be more than 30 books here – no one could read them all before Thursday! How can you expect me –“  
Theseus noticed that Albus was beginning to smile one of Theseus’ favourite smiles – the ‘trickster smile’ – the smile that indicated that the joke Albus had made amused himself so much that he didn’t much care if anyone else thought it was funny. 

“You – don’t expect me to read all of these books.”  
“No! But I do expect you to duel me. So, I made an exhaustive list of all of the spells that the current seventh years can be expected to have learned, together with a separate smaller list of the spells that they will be learning in the next few months, but which they have not learned yet.”

“You made these lists?” Theseus asked sceptically. He took them from Albus and began leafing through them. His scepticism was warranted, it appeared – there were 4 different handwriting styles, ink blots, strikethroughs…  
“Well, no, I had them made. It made for excellent detention work. But I did check what they wrote. Good thing, too. I wouldn’t want you to hit me with an irreversible depilatory charm.”

Theseus kept his expression thoughtful as he tilted his head as if he were studying Albus. “Yes, I suppose I could take or leave the beard, but I do prefer for you to have eyebrows.” It wasn’t true about the beard - Theseus loved the beard, and hoped that Albus kept it.   
Albus smiled broadly (the ‘smile of congenial appreciation in advance of securing a favor’). “So, you will do it?”  
“I will. But we are going to have to find time to practice duelling together the next few days, starting tomorrow, so that we get enough of a feel for one another to put on a good show.”  
‘Get a feel for one another?’ Why had he said that, exactly? Why not, ‘understand one another’s strengths,’ or something like that? Maybe not that either. How strong was Albus, exactly, Theseus wondered. For instance… Ack! No!  
Theseus felt like banging his head against the table.

“We should use the Defence classroom then, since that is where we are going to be giving the demonstration.”  
And now Theseus was unhealthily excited about duelling Albus, alone in a room where they would not be disturbed on a Sunday. Idiot, idiot, idiot.  
“Of course. Why don’t I – read these lists – and perhaps I will have enough to go on for an initial duel as soon as tomorrow after breakfast.”  
“Excellent plan!”

Albus walked back into the sitting room, leaving Theseus in the kitchen with the books and parchments. Theseus felt almost domestic. Lunch in his flat, a walk in the Lake Country, making dinner for Albus in his private quarters, discussing lesson plans, and now studying on their own in preparation for a duel.   
The conversation with Albus had been effortless – jumping from theory to practice to needling one another good-naturedly, then back to making plans. He felt relaxed and energized all at the same time.  
This was what Theseus had wanted all along. What he had never had with anyone.

No, he was getting ahead of himself. He didn’t have it with Albus now, either. What he had was a brand-new relatively congenial co-worker relationship, which might grow into friendship, complicated by a sexual attraction that might not be returned. What he had was a still undiscussed bedroom arrangement with a man he had been unhealthily obsessed with for more than 20 years. 

‘Wait. I’m not “unhealthily obsessed.”’  
‘_You named his facial expressions._’   
‘That’s not fair,’ Theseus argued against his conscience, ‘I’m an Auror. I observe.’  
‘So if I were to ask what Travers was wearing Friday?’  
‘Why would I need to know what he was wearing Friday?!’  
‘So that means you don't know what Dumbledore was wearing on Tuesday, the day the Admonitors were put on him?’  
‘… Alright, you have a point.’

It did not count as talking to yourself, Theseus believed, as long as you did it silently. He imagined that everyone talked to themselves silently, but it was something that it was poor form to talk about.  
Either way, it didn’t matter: the key to normalcy was not trying to be more normal – Theseus had gotten where he was by knowing how to appear normal. Which was much more useful, not least because what society considered ‘normal’ was subject to change.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is your smut warning - if there is such a thing as text that is NSFW, this is it.

Chapter 6  
Saturday, part 5

Theseus had a lot of work ahead of him in order to be ready to duel Albus while adhering to his “Hogwarts spells only” rule. He wanted to have the entire list of permissible spells committed to memory, so that he wouldn’t be at a disadvantage. He began casting spells on the parchments – alphabetizing the spells, categorizing them by year, by difficulty. He visualized likely sequences of spells. He wrote scripts for duels utilizing only conjuring spells, only spells starting with the letters R-Z, only spells learned in years 1-3…  
Theseus was so engaged in working through the spells in every possible way that he wouldn’t have noticed Albus was re-entering the kitchen, if he had not gone out of his way to make a great deal of noise. Good thing, too - no telling what spell he might have fired off at that point if he were startled.  
After the lecture that he had given Albus on love just hours before, he knew that it was far too early to say it, but how could he not love a man who knew that Theseus was dangerous when simply _studying_ defensive magic? Especially since the War.  
More and more, Theseus was becoming convinced that Albus had been paying attention to him for years, the way he had been paying attention to Albus.

Albus pulled his chair around the table and sat next to Theseus. Theseus turned to look at him, and was surprised by how close he was – so close – close enough to –  
Their lips met softly. Theseus wasn’t sure which one of them was responsible for it.  
Albus pulled back and looked at Theseus.  
“Too soon?”  
“I’ve been waiting for that kiss for more than twenty years, Albus.”  
Albus looked slightly impatient. “That’s not what I meant.”  
“I know what you meant.”  
Theseus leaned back in and kissed Albus a bit more aggressively.

“How about you? Is thirty years long enough for you to give yourself permission to kiss someone who wants you?”  
“Maybe not. But I’ve put you off too long.”

That gave Theseus pause. He stood and walked to the other side of the kitchen.  
“How long have you known?”  
“You were not exactly subtle in the beginning. What I had suspected for months became certain once you had graduated. What could a recent graduate need at school a week after the end of term? I was the only person you visited, and your face was so close to mine I could tell that you had had coffee rather than tea that morning.”

For years, Theseus had debated whether Albus had known why he had come to visit that day – whether he had known and ignored it, or if Theseus had not been as obvious as he had thought, or if Albus had been too oblivious. Now he knew – Albus had known – he’d known all this time. Had Albus not been interested at the time? Sparing Theseus’ feelings?  
“Then why didn’t you –“

Albus stood, and walked towards him, stopping an arm’s length away.  
“Theseus – I couldn’t have given you what you wanted –“  
“What I wanted.”  
Albus sighed. “I wanted you, too, but it wouldn’t have been appropriate – you were my student.”  
“Not at that point – I had graduated. And there was barely any age difference. I was 18, you were only 25.”  
Albus looked away and admitted, “24 at that time, actually.” 

He gathered his thoughts for a moment.  
“Fine. The truth is, I wasn’t ready to trust myself yet. You were the same age I was when I met Gellert – I didn’t want to ruin your life.  
“But since then, I have thought about you all the time. I think about how I should have kissed you that day in my office. I think about having you in my bed. Every time I heard a rumour that you were with someone else, I cursed myself for not having more courage.  
“And I know this is not the best time, but I came in here, and you were in my kitchen, surrounded by my books, with that look you get on your face when you are concentrating –“

This monologue had gone on long enough. Theseus kissed Albus again, more urgently. He walked Albus back towards the table, standing between his legs and kissing him again, one hand splayed against his back, and another grabbing his arse.  
“There is no bad time for this, Albus. I want to stop wondering where this could lead, and find out for certain what we could be.”  
Theseus found his wand and removed all of the books and papers from the table, then vanished Albus’ vest, tie, shirt… He closed his eyes briefly, then reopened them. No, this was no illusion – Albus Dumbledore was exposed to his gaze and looking very receptive.

Theseus ran his hand slowly down Albus’ chest, coming to Albus’ trousers and unbuttoning the top button. Gods. He was really doing this.  
He kissed Albus neck, just below his ear, and whispered, “You are gorgeous. I want to learn every inch of you. How you feel, how you smell, how you taste, how you react.

“Mmm – did you just proposition me, Auror Scamander?”  
That smile was new – a new, unnamed, mysterious smile. For now, Theseus was going to take it as encouragement.  
“_Theseus_ was propositioning you. If you are looking for roleplay… _Auror Scamander_ may need to interrogate you another time. But not tonight.”  
Theseus hadn’t had a sexual partner for – too long. Never one this intelligent, this interesting. This was going to be so much fun, if nothing else. (He ignored that he was going to be devastated if it was nothing else. He was going to give himself this tonight, no more thinking.)

Albus began to look hesitant. He placed a hand against Theseus’ chest and pushed slightly.  
“We could get plenty of satisfaction from snogging – shouldn’t we slow down?”  
Snogging. What were they? Fifteen?  
Theseus searched his face. “Do you want for me to slow down, Albus?”  
“Gods, no.”  
“Good. Then let’s not.”  
Theseus vanished his own shirt, and the rest of Albus’ clothing, and dropped to his knees. 

Teasing, slow-builds, foreplay – none of that interested Theseus at the moment – twenty years of waiting had been all the slow and torturous he needed. This first time, he was going to make Albus come fast and hard – slow and worshipful could wait until – later tonight, if he was lucky.  
He took Albus’ balls in his hand and swallowed his cock completely. Albus gave a surprised shout, and the corners of Theseus’ full mouth pulled up in a satisfied smile. 

He pressed his nose more deeply into Albus’ curls and inhaled. He couldn’t wait to learn the taste of Albus’ come – and soon he hoped to discover what this beautiful cock felt like driving deep into his arse.  
He pulled almost all the way back, until he had just the tip of Albus’ cock in his mouth. He explored the soft skin there with his tongue, then sucked hard.  
Albus moaned. He made the most beautiful noises. His responsiveness was making Theseus ache. 

He was moving his mouth back down, taking more and more of Albus’ cock – but clearly not fast enough for Albus, who put his hand on the back of Theseus head and pressed him down slightly as he gripped his hair.  
But as soon as his hand was there, it was gone.  
“Sorry! Sorry.”  
Theseus removed his mouth from Albus’ cock.  
“It’s fine, Albus – I liked it. You’re not going to hurt me, I promise. You can show me what you want. What do you want?”  
“Faster?”  
Theseus smiled. “I can do faster.”

Straightaway, his mouth was back on Albus. He took Albus’ hand in his own, and placed it on the back of his head, giving Albus permission to set the depth and the pace. Theseus then wrapped his arm around Albus, firmly pulling him in closer as Theseus took Albus into his mouth, into his throat, and he swallowed, squeezing the head of Albus’ cock.  
It was even more satisfying than he had imagined, Albus warm hard cock sliding between his sensitive lips and over his tongue, Albus’ hands – one on the back of his head and the other gripping onto the table, white-knuckled. And the sounds he made – Theseus didn’t think he would ever get enough of hearing Albus Dumbledore lose the power of speech.

His keening was beginning to become higher pitched. Theseus reached down and began massaging his balls. They were beginning to draw up –  
“Theseus – I’m –“  
Theseus hummed in acknowledgement. He had forgotten to tell Albus that he _wanted_ his cum – _needed_ it.  
Albus began to draw back a bit, but Theseus, arm still wrapped around Albus, hand still on his hip, pulled him sharply into him, slamming Albus’ cock hard into his throat. Albus came with a scream.  
Theseus pulled back slightly, continuing to hold Albus’ cock in his mouth through the aftershocks. When his mouth was finally free to explore elsewhere, he kissed Albus’ belly, and Albus flinched, groaning, ‘Too… much… everywhere…”

Theseus laughed, cast a feather-light charm on Albus, and carried him to the sitting room. He widened the sofa, laid Albus down on it, and lay down beside him.  
“I hadn’t meant for our first time to be in the kitchen,” Theseus apologized. “I just couldn’t wait any longer –“  
“I love that our first time was in the kitchen,” said Albus, and he kissed Theseus.  
He laid his hand on Theseus’ chest, and sucked on his collar bone. His hand drifted lower, until his fingers were tangled in the curls above his cock.

Albus took his sweet time touching and kissing everywhere but where Theseus most needed him. When Albus finally wrapped his lips around Theseus’ cock, he was so wound up that he came almost right away. He was mortified.  
“Oh, gods, Albus. I’m so sorry.”  
“Don’t be – I have no one but myself to blame, teasing you like that when you were clearly already ready for me. I’ll just have to try again.” 

Albus bent down and licked the pucker of Theseus’ hole, then gently began pressing his tongue against it. Once he’d breached the hole, he began fucking him with his tongue, just for a minute or two before replacing his tongue with a finger so that he could take Theseus’ balls into his mouth. He did not have to wait long for Theseus to become hard again.  
Albus pressed his less occupied hand down at the base of Theseus’ cock, and slid his mouth slowly up and down, sucking gently when he came to the head.  
Theseus struggled to speak. “More – teeth –“  
Albus sucked hard, pulling his mouth off of Theseus with an audible, ‘Pop!’  
“_More_ teeth?” he asked, incredulously.  
“Well, not the head obviously, but just, try running your teeth gently along the shaft?”  
Albus raised an eyebrow, “Interesting…”  
He tried it, and Theseus started shouting. “Gods! Yes! Albus! Fuck!”

Albus experimented with different frequencies of alternating between teeth and no teeth, suction and no suction. It seemed like his one hand was everywhere – tweaking Theseus’ nipples, first one then the other, tugging on the thatch of curls just north of his cock, scraping his inner thighs with his fingernails – and yet, somehow, it didn’t seem like Albus was failing to pay sufficient attention to any place where his hand landed. All the while, the heel of his other hand was pressed up against his balls while keeping his finger (wait – when had that become two – no – three fingers?) pumping steadily in Theseus’ arse.  
If Theseus had had any ability to think in words, he would have appreciated having his body be an object of Albus’ study – but all he had the capacity to notice was that somehow what had already been the best blow job of his life was rapidly getting better. 

After Theseus came in Albus’ mouth, the look on Albus’ face was so happy, Theseus couldn’t account for it.  
“That,” Albus said, “was brilliant.”  
“Gods, yes. I’ve never – I’ve never – “  
Albus laughed. “No, me neither. I’d say that that was worth waiting for, but I’m sorry that I did wait. I hope you’ll forgive me.”  
“After that orgasm? You could not have picked a better time to ask.”

Albus came up from between Theseus’ legs, and lay half draped over him. Theseus pulled Albus on top of him, and kissed him – tasting his lingering come in Albus’ mouth.  
“Does this mean I’ll be sleeping with you in your room while I’m here?”  
“I’d like that. Do you want to?”  
“Mmm. Yes, please. Kiss me?”  
“Anything, anything.” And he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So - I've been moving slowly enough that you are going to have to wait a bit longer for their first duel - but the next chapter will take place on the following day, at least - we are all done with Saturday, LOL


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a bit longer than usual (ok, maybe twice as long as usual, tbh) – I couldn’t figure out a good place to break it.

Chapter 7  
Sunday

Theseus was wide awake in the dark, and breathing too quickly. There was a hand on his shoulder – Albus.  
“You were shouting.”  
“Bad dream – blue fire – “  
They had been in Paris, and suddenly, it was just Albus and Theseus and Grindelwald in that damned amphitheatre, and Albus was walking towards the circle of fire, and Theseus didn’t know if he was going to see him join Grindelwald or be burned to ash, and he knew he couldn’t live with either.  
Then he woke, and he saw Albus, and remembered that it had been almost just like that, but with Leta instead. Was it possible to die of the wrongness of the world? Theseus felt hollow inside, like someone had taken a spoon and scraped out everything from inside of his chest and his gut, and now, somehow, he could feel the emptiness. Like the pain he had heard of that Muggles injured in the war felt in legs they no longer had. 

Albus rolled onto his back and lifted up his arm.  
“Here.”  
Theseus laid his head on Albus’ chest and placed his hand on Albus’ far shoulder. Albus held Theseus tightly. Theseus wondered if Albus had held anyone since Grindelwald. He wasn’t sure whether he hoped so or not. No, he did hope so. It wasn’t right for anyone to go that long without this kind of affection.  
Laying there with him, in the dark, being comforted after a bad dream, Theseus allowed himself to imagine that Albus was his now. He allowed himself to forget that he had been scolding himself that such thoughts were dangerous not twelve hours before. Instead he matched his breathing to Albus’ and slowly drifted off in the safety of his arms.

When Theseus woke next, the sun was shining, and he was in more or less the same position: one leg was thrown over Albus’, his head on Albus’ chest. But his hand had drifted down to Albus’ hip – and oh! He had been grinding his erection against Albus’ hip in his sleep. He looked up at Albus, blushing, and Albus smirked.  
“Feeling a little needy this morning?”  
“Can we…?”  
“Bottom or top?”  
“I want to feel you in me – if you want, that is, if you –“  
“Yes, I want. You have no idea how much I want.”

Albus disentangled himself from Theseus’ legs. He looked Theseus in his eyes as he took his own finger into his mouth to get it slick before pressing it slowly into Theseus.  
“So, Theseus? How long has it been for you?”  
“Thr – gods, yes, Albus! – Three – eeeee – years!”  
‘Years’ came out as an almost inarticulate yelp.  
“I see. Well, we will need to take our time getting you ready then, won’t we?”  
Theseus groaned.  
“But I want you right [oh!] now [yes! yes!]”  
“No, I think you have proven to be very good at waiting. Now you are going to need to wait for this as well.”  
“Albus! You tease! Where’s that other finger – I know you have more than one. Use them, for fuck’s sake!”  
Albus uttered a lubricating spell before adding a second finger, and Theseus lost all thought, except for one. He hoped that Albus wouldn’t start to worry that they were making a mistake.

But even that thought disappeared not long after, as Albus began slowly working his cock into him. It burned, and he gasped. Albus paused for a moment. “Are you ok?”  
Theseus groaned. “I’ve never been better! Please don’t stop.”  
Albus bent down and kissed him as he thrust in the rest of the way. Then propped himself back up and looked down at Theseus. “Gods, I’ve wanted you for so long. Just like this.”  
He pulled back, and thrust back in. “You feel even better than I expected.”

As he continued to fuck Theseus slowly, Albus grabbed Theseus’ hand, brought it up to his mouth, and began sucking on his index finger. He sat back to a kneeling position and lifted up Theseus’ legs so that they stretched up against his chest and over his shoulders. This change in angle increased the sensation exponentially. The intensity kept building, and Theseus felt like his brain was going to explode. He couldn’t put two words together. He began babbling incoherently: “I – yes! – Albus – how? – you – I can’t – gods, gods, gods – you are – oh!”

Albus took advantage of no longer supporting himself with his hands to start pumping Theseus’ cock. “I’m – so close,” Albus said, “You – I need you to – please” Albus couldn’t speak either, apparently.  
Albus turned his head just enough to catch Theseus’ foot with his mouth. When he sucked on the arch of his foot, that pushed Theseus over the edge. The force of his orgasm shot his cum clear over him – it splattered against the headboard. Albus noisily followed him not long after. He began to pull out, but Theseus stopped him. “Not yet – stay in me? I don’t want to feel the absence of you just yet. Lay on me?”

Albus agreed, and lay on Theseus, but he was too tired to prop himself up on his arms, so it was not long before Theseus began inhaling in gasps, and exhaling ragged puffs of air. Albus kissed Theseus’ shoulder. “I’m not going to let you pass out from lack of oxygen. I’m coming out.”  
Albus pulled out and rolled off of Theseus, and Theseus gave a disappointed whine.  
“Don’t worry,” said Albus. “I have every intention of getting back in there as soon as possible. That was brilliant.”  
Later, it would occur to Theseus that in the past, he had always preferred to be fucked hard – that fast and rough had been necessary to keep his mind from wandering. But Albus’ slow build had been unexpectedly intense – Theseus had had no thoughts but what he was feeling now, and now, and now. He couldn’t figure if that was down to Albus’ technique, his cock, or simply his own feelings for Albus. Not that it really mattered why it was so good. It was enough to be grateful for it.

////////

Theseus made breakfast again that morning. He didn’t want to trouble any elves until he had heard back from Troilus. In fact, he should probably call the elf later that day, to see how he was progressing. And hopefully to start warming him up to Albus.  
If reconciling the two was even necessary – how much of a fixture was Albus going to be in his life? Theseus had been clear that he wanted more than sex from Albus, but it was less clear what Albus wanted from Theseus. 

They were almost done eating when Theseus broached the subject, in his usual abrupt way.

“When did you last sleep with someone?”  
“This morning,” Albus said mischievously.  
“Albus. You know very well what I mean. I need to know that you are not just – acting on arousal from not having had sex in too long.”  
“It seems like _I’m_ the one who should be worried about that. Three years, Theseus?” Albus picked up his tea cup and took a swallow, as if punctuating his statement.  
“Dammit, Albus! Answer the question.”

Albus sighed and set down the cup. Then he worried his lip and looked away. “Two months ago.”  
That – made sense actually. He, unlike Theseus, had not come that first time as if he had spent years enjoying only the company of his own hand.  
But his face was telling the story of sex he was not proud to own up to. Theseus took a wild guess.  
“And the last time you had sex with the same person more than once?”  
Albus mumbled something.  
“I’m going to guess that you said ‘Gellert’ just now. You really let that fucker throw you for a loop. You have had only casual sex for the past 30 years? Please tell me you do not still imagine yourself to be in love with Grindelwald.”

“No. No I don’t, but I did for a very long time. No, mostly what I feel these days is grief. And remorse.  
“He left just after a duel, did you know that? Between himself and my brother. My sister and I tried to intervene, and somehow my sister ended up being killed, and Gellert fled… It was preventable – foreseeable – it was obvious to me afterwards. I’ve made so many foolish choices that I can’t take back.  
“After he left, I wanted him in spite of everything. I wanted him terribly. I felt as devastated by him leaving as I did by my sister’s death, which is disgusting, I know, but I couldn’t help it. He was everything to me.”

Theseus was not going to touch the death of Albus’ sister. Or, at least, not first thing. Ariana and Grindelwald were related in Albus’ mind, but now that he’d heard the outline of the story, Theseus aimed to separate them. There was another issue here that needed Albus’ attention.

“So – you never truly broke up – there was no confrontation, no discussion between you and Grindelwald? He just – disappeared?”  
“Well, he did write to me – very often at first, and then less often, but I never wrote back. I didn’t want to lose my resolve to stay away from him.”  
“And your reason for staying away from him was…?”  
“Well, Ariana…”  
“So if Ariana hadn’t died, you would still be with him today?”  
“No one could answer such a question truthfully.“  
In Theseus’ experience, few people could answer any question truthfully with their mouths. Bodies were another story.  
“Try, Albus.”

Albus looked down at the floor for a moment, then looked back up at Theseus.  
“I hope that I would have found the distance to see that everything – when I was with him, I was so – irrational? Yes, irrational. I lost all sense of actions having consequences. I only cared about how I felt in the moment, and how I felt in the moment was entirely reliant on what Gellert wanted, how Gellert felt. It was as if my brain shut off – as if I were in a dream, watching myself from the outside. When he wasn’t in the same room with me anymore – when I only had his letters – his words sounded bizarre to me – cold, demanding. At the time, that only made me want to have him back, so that I could go back to feeling what I had felt before, so I could recover what we had lost. I’m glad now I didn’t follow him to the Continent. But it was a close thing at the time.”  
He was staring at the oven again. He had done that at breakfast yesterday, too. What did that signify? Perhaps it was just the nearest thing in his line of sight from that chair. Still, it warranted further observation. 

“Albus. You’re an alchemist. You know the concept of a catalyst. You would have left Gellert eventually. Ariana’s death was a catalyst – it sped up the process, but you would have left him without that happening.  
“I’m sorry your sister died, but I’m glad Grindelwald ran away – it gave you the space to realize that you had forgotten who you were without him. It was a dangerous relationship: you had no you apart from him. That’s not healthy. A relationship should never make you forget who you are.”  
“Well, it did make me forget, and I have always wondered if that was down to me – if I am someone who can’t love safely. If I am too dangerous, too irrational, too prone to losing myself, losing sight of consequences…”

“I thought we had established yesterday that one does not know that one is in love after less than two months.”  
“_You_ established. But if I were to concede that you are right about that – then that is even worse. That means you can become more and more irrationally attached to a person as time goes on – that you can yoke yourself to someone you know nothing about, all the time deceiving yourself…”  
“Or you can remind yourself periodically that you might be being irrational, and so speed up the process of getting to know who they really are…”  
“It makes relationships a terrific gamble.”

“That’s right, Albus, and it is a gamble people make every day. People start relationships, they think they’re in love, sometimes they actually are, sometimes it doesn’t work out anyway. And then, very often, they find someone to love again.”  
Theseus knew that he was fucking this all up. He knew that his family thought that he was unsympathetic, that he didn’t know what he sounded like – but they were wrong on both counts. Instead his sympathy, while strong, was just shy of strong enough to overcome his nearly boundless frustration with the people he was trying to comfort, to help.  
Albus, for example. He had chosen a terrible person to be his first love, his first kiss, his first fuck. Not because Grindelwald was destined to become some ‘dark lord’ (though wasn’t that bad luck), but because he was bright enough to manipulate the likes of Albus Dumbledore.  
But that was _thirty years ago_, and Albus needed to fucking get over it. He had imprisoned his heart in a tiny little patch of the past, and he could be free if he would just choose to let himself leave the cage he had made for himself.

“Grindelwald saw your desire for him and your admiration for his intellect and power, and he found a way to twist it to his satisfaction.”  
Theseus had to admit that this was a guess. But it fit the evidence better than any other conclusion.  
“He did not love you, Albus. He wanted to possess you, and that is completely different. No wonder you think love is dangerous.”  
Theseus hated to push the dagger in deeper, but it couldn’t be helped.  
“Has anyone else ever told you that they love you?”  
Albus looked up at Theseus, his jaw set. “No,” he said in a dead voice.  
“No. So all you know about what love looks like is from someone who had no idea what love is meant to be.”

“Have you ever been in love, Theseus?”  
Theseus thought about how best to answer. It was possible that Albus’ question was just a polite veneer over the assertion, ‘what would you know about it – you have never been truly in love – not the way I was.’ But it wouldn’t do to respond in that way. Better to interpret the question generously, as if Albus were truly trying to get to the heart of what Theseus meant when he said ‘love.’

“I reserve ‘in love’ for a relationship between two people who believe that they love each other, in which case, yes. Once. We were together four years. But in the end, he was unhappy with my decision to join the war effort. He said that if I left, he wouldn’t be there when I got back. And he wasn’t. I still wonder if I left to fight because it seemed the right thing to do, or if I was providing us with a way to end it. We weren’t really right for each other, just – right enough, I suppose. I don’t know if that means we were never really in love? Anyway, he’s happier now without me, and I’m happier now without him.”

Insanely happy as of last night, but it seemed risky to say so out loud just at the moment.

“But I have loved other people – people that I couldn’t be in a relationship with, or people that I dated who felt differently for me than I did for them…”  
Albus looked at Theseus searchingly, and Theseus could tell what question Albus wanted to ask, knew that he would not ask. He wondered now if that was what Albus had meant by the one question he did ask.  
Fuck it. In for a knut, in for a galleon.

“I loved you, you know, for the longest time. I didn’t know I was attracted to men until I saw you at the Staff Table at the welcoming feast. And as the year wore on, and I watched how you taught our class, and how you interacted with the other staff, as I learned what interested you and what caught your attention, what gave you energy… I grew to love you. You were the first man I ever loved. It was devastating to think you didn’t feel anything like that for me, but I got over it. After a fashion. I still thought about you, but I respected what I thought were your feelings on the matter. It seemed important to try to move on. To not let myself be trapped by a vision of something I couldn’t have. But I never did find anyone who I was so intrigued by as you.”

Albus turned his fork over in his hand, as if studying it.  
“You got over it. So – you don’t still love me, is what you are saying.”  
Did Albus even _want_ Theseus to love him right now?

“Oh Albus, gods, I want to love you. I can’t imagine that I won’t come to love you again. I’m coming very close, though it feels far too soon to say so. I worry that I don’t really know you – who you are now. In the past couple of days, I’ve spent more time with you than I have in all the rest of the past five years. But give me a chance, and I will stay with you more than long enough to make you believe that I really mean it when I tell you that I love you.”

Albus smiled - his 'I want to appear as if I have everything under control, but my plans are crumbling to dust’ smile. Theseus hated that this was so painful for Albus. He wished that it could be different - that he hadn't been mired in his brokenness for so long. 

“I’m not at all sure that you’ve chosen the object of your affection wisely.”  
“Probably not. After all, he’s rather determined not to allow himself to extend his own affection to anyone, lest he become 'irrational'.”  
Albus began playing with the cuff of his shirt again, which struck Theseus as a good sign, under the circumstances.  
“It is beginning to seem more irrational to deny the possibility that I might be allowed happiness without regard for whether or not I deserve it.”

“No, I do not believe that happiness is about deserving. It is, I think, more about risking. But it is worth it, whether this works out or not, to not have to wonder anymore if we could have been good for one another. And if we _are_ right for one another? Well, there’s no way to find out that spares us from saying and doing frightening things.”  
Albus laughed. “I’d say that this last bit makes you sound wise beyond your years, but that would reveal that I am still in denial about how old we both are.”  
Albus kept bringing up their ages – did he think that it was too late for them? That he had missed his chance more than 20 years ago?  
“We’re not so old, for wizards. We might have another 150 years together, if we’re lucky.”

Albus stood up, pulled Theseus out of his chair, and kissed him. “You make me want to try.”  
Try what, though?  
Of course, Theseus wanted to just move on to the physical reassurance at the end of this conversation – but Albus had still not really given him a clear indication of how he saw Theseus. The old ‘what are your intentions?’ question. And so he really had no choice but to keep pushing Albus.

“Oh yes? I’m not just one of your Knockturn Alley whores?”  
“Knockturn –?“  
There were many things that Albus Dumbledore was very good at. Feigning bewilderment was not one of them.  
“Come on, Albus. It would be very hard to have the number of one night stands you must have had without resorting to the trade in Knockturn. It’s a revolving door of prostitution, and it’s one of the few places where the DMLE doesn’t enforce the ‘decency’ laws. It’s not a question of whether you frequented Knockturn, only of whether you ever found men anywhere else.”  
Albus regained his composure.  
“Well – I never brought a man back here, and I never slept with any one of them more than once. You will be sleeping in my bed for three weeks, and I fully intend to have sex with you again, so those are already two differences.”  
“Not funny, Albus.”

Albus sighed and turned away. “I don’t know what I can give you yet. I don’t know what I have to give, or what this feeling that I have for you is. But I want you to be with me. I think I could be a better person with you in my life. I am growing certain that I would be happier with you than I have been without you.”  
He turned back to Theseus, laying a hand on his hip and pulling him closer. “So, to answer your original question – this is not just about sex for me, Theseus. With you, it could never be just about sex – I care about you, I respect you too much. That’s the main reason I kept you at a distance for so long.”

Theseus looked at Albus carefully. Yes, it looked like he was telling the truth.  
“Thank you Albus. I needed to know, and I couldn’t know without asking. I won’t ask again.”  
“I hope not – it would be tiresome to have to continually reassure you that I am not just after your body.” Albus smiled - was that his 'my plans are crumbling to dust' smile again? He really was frightened of their feelings for each other, wasn’t he?

“That’s part of a relationship, Albus – constant reassurance. Also, letting the person know, gently and lovingly, when they are becoming ‘tiresome.’”  
“A relationship, eh?”  
“Yes.”  
“Of the ‘talk about our feelings and don’t have sex with anyone else’ variety?”  
“I certainly hope so.”  
“Well, if you can tolerate a wizard who has absolutely no idea how to function in a relationship, then yes.”

“I am not sure I know who this non-functioning wizard is that you are talking about – Just because you haven’t done it before doesn’t mean you don’t have a clue about where to begin. We’ll be fine. Better than fine, if this morning was any indication.”  
Albus laughed. “I thought you didn’t want this to just be about sex.”  
“I don’t – but the way that we are with one another – even the sex seems to be about more than sex, you know?”  
Albus nodded. “Yes. Yes, I know.” 

Albus kissed Theseus deeply, and as he kissed him, he worked his hand into Theseus’ pants. He grasped his cock, and pulled away just enough to look into Theseus’ eyes.  
“Is this ok?”  
“Please – Albus – yes –“  
Theseus disappeared Albus’ clothing, and Albus laughed. “Impatient, are you?”  
Albus instead removed Theseus’ clothes slowly, the Muggle way, and when Theseus’ cock was finally free, Albus rubbed his own cock against it. Theseus gasped, and Albus smiled (‘affably arrogant,’ the prick), and reached down, grasping him firmly.  
“You have the most gorgeous cock. I love the way it feels in my hand. I love the look on your face when I touch you. But – the way you feel in my mouth,” Albus said, just before dragging his tongue down Theseus’ chest and lapping at one of his nipples. “And the noises you make,” he continued, gently nibbling a trail down his belly. “You are everything I want, Theseus – let me show you?”  
“Yes, yes, anything –“

Theseus couldn’t have said later what exactly it was Albus had done – he seemed to be applying everything he had learned about Theseus’ body in the past day, all at once. He felt as if he only existed where some part of Albus’ body was touching him. Or, no, more that he had no awareness of reality that was unmediated by Albus’ hands and mouth.  
Theseus pulled out of his bliss, alarmed – was this what Albus had meant by dangerous? He would have to take some time alone today to get his bearings.  
Albus must have sensed the rising tension in his body. He removed his mouth from Theseus and looked at him.  
“Still ok, Love?”  
Theseus swallowed, and nodded. “Just – frightened by what you make me feel.”  
Albus smiled sadly. He bit Theseus on his side, gently, just north of his hip bone. Then he stood back up. “Me too. I mean, I’ve always been frightened of what you make me feel, but I’m beginning to be frightened by what I make you feel.”  
He sucked lightly on the place where Theseus’ neck met his shoulder.  
“Do I need to stop?”

Theseus sighed, closed his eyes, and turned his head away.  
“Only if I’ve completely ruined the moment.”  
“You could never ruin anything by being honest with me, Theseus. How am I ever meant to fall in love with you if you don’t let me see who you really are?”  
Theseus groaned, pulled Albus tightly against him, and claimed Albus’ mouth in an open-mouthed kiss.  
He broke away, sighing – “In me now – please, Albus –“

“Not here.” Albus led them to the still expanded sofa, whispered a lubricating charm, and rolled onto his back, pulling Theseus on top of him. Theseus grasped Albus’ cock and slowly lowered himself. He had been well prepared by Albus’ tongue and fingers just now, not to mention the thorough fucking he had received upon waking this morning, but the stretch was still significant.  
This was exactly what he had needed. He could see Albus’ face from up here. He could feel where Albus ended and he began, while still losing himself just enough in the connection between them.  
When Theseus was fully seated, he stopped for a moment, admiring the gorgeous man beneath him.  
It wasn’t long before Albus became impatient, and bucked up into him. “Are you going to move? Or am I meant to do all the work from down here?”  
Theseus laughed. “Would it make a difference if you knew that I’m busy falling in love with you up here?”  
Albus smiled his trickster smile – “That’s fine, as long as it doesn’t stop you from putting those hard, sexy thighs of yours to work!”  
Theseus laughed, and started moving, and as he rode Albus, he reached behind him to stroke Albus’ balls.  
Albus cried out, “What the fuck?”  
“I – am going to make you come – like you have Never. Come. Before. But first, I am going to make you beg for it.”  
He picked up the pace just slightly. Twice in three hours? Gods, he was going to be sore. But it was going to be worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm risking spoiling you guys here. :P  
Not every chapter is going to have so much smut in it -  
Some of the chapters will be more heavily weighted towards how terrible Albus is with house elves, because subplot, LOL


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theseus and Albus are growing closer - but guilt and grief don't just disappear overnight, no matter who you have with you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The duel - so -  
You'll get to see more of the 'during' when in a later duel, in Chapter 10...  
But for this first one, I was more interested in, let's say, the outcome of the duel.
> 
> Hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 8  
Sunday, part 2

Theseus begged off duelling until after lunch (‘I cannot even walk straight at the moment, Albus.’) So Albus returned the sofa to its former size, and Theseus laid with his head in Albus’ lap while they each read. Theseus, who was reading a Muggle novel, made fun of Albus for his own book.  
“_Reading Your Opponent: A practical guide to duelling_. Worried about our duel are you? Needing to do a bit of last minute revising?”  
“It’s for class, Theseus.”  
“A likely story. Unlike you, I am sufficiently sure of myself to relax and read – “  
“_The Brothers Karamazov_. Oh yes, just a little light reading.” Albus laughed and smiled down at Theseus fondly.  
“It may be that I win the duel simply because your head is distracted with puzzling out the nature of good and evil. I hardly think it will be a fair fight.” Albus was so pleased with himself it was adorable.

'Adorable, is he?'  
'What? No! No - fuckable. That's better, right?'  
'Fuckable?' Theseus' conscience sounded incredulous. 'He's not just fuckable.'  
'Of course not! He's brilliant, and funny, and kind...'  
'You have got it bad. Might as well tack on adorable. You're a lost cause.'

Just then, Theseus’ stomach rumbled.  
Albus laughed. “Hungry, are you? I guess it is about time… You’ve been cooking for us so much – let me take a turn.”  
“I didn’t know that you can cook, Albus!”  
Albus did not answer right away, instead looking off towards the bookshelves.  
That was curious. 

“Ah. You can’t cook, can you.” Why had he offered to cook if he didn’t know how?  
“Well, no. But I’m sure I could figure it out. It doesn’t seem fair…”  
“I’m happy to teach you how to cook another time, Love, but only if you want to. I don’t mind at all being the cook.”  
“Are you sure you wouldn’t prefer to just lay here and read a bit more?”  
Theseus laughed, sat up, and kissed Albus. “What I would prefer is to not be stuck with someone’s ‘I can figure it out’ experiment when I am this hungry.”

////////

At lunch, they continued to taunt one another in advance of the duel.  
About halfway through the meal, Albus pointed his spoon at Theseus.  
“I am going to wipe the floor with you. I have been teaching Defence for more than 20 years. You don’t have a chance.”  
“I don’t think so, old man. You’ve gotten soft, duelling 14 year olds.”  
“Old man, am I now?”

So that was the secret – Albus was calling himself old constantly, but if Theseus said it playfully enough, he could get Albus to push back.  
“Hmm.” Theseus moved his chair closer to Albus’, and reached out with his left hand to touch the skin near the corner of Albus’ eye. “You have some little wrinkles right there.”  
“So do you!”  
“Then I suppose that we are both old men.”

“Can an old man –“  
Albus’ hand was already working its way into Theseus’ pants.  
Theseus laughed and grabbed Albus’ wrist. “Not during lunch, you barbarian!”  
“I’ll stop if you tell me what you are going to teach tomorrow.”  
“That is not much of a motivation.”  
“No, I suppose not.”  
“You’ll stop because I want to finish my soup without choking on it.”

Albus removed his hand and went back to his food.  
“Though I did not agree to your dubious exchange – aguamenti, wingardium leviosa, switching spells.”  
“That’s really not very much information, Theseus.”  
“It’s all the information you are getting. You can wait until tomorrow.”  
With a flick of his wand, Theseus sent the dishes to the sink, and started them washing. 

“Duelling robes?” Albus asked.  
“Oh yes. Prepare to be trounced by someone with actual field experience.”

///////

It was when the tripping jinx actually hit Albus that Theseus knew – Albus had stopped trying. That was annoying. Sure, they had been going longer than a class period, and really this was just meant to be practice, but Theseus had been curious about which one of them would finally take the other one down, and how. Now, it seemed that the answers were:  
1/Theseus, but not in a fair fight; and  
2/However the fuck he wanted.

Fine, then.  
“Expelliramus!” Albus’ wand shot into Theseus’ hand.  
“Diffindo!” Albus’ clothes fell in shreds on the floor.  
“Incarcerous!” His arms were bound behind him.

For someone standing bound, naked, and alone with an armed man pointing a wand at him, Albus looked completely unconcerned.  
“I let you do that, you know.”  
Theseus rolled his eyes.  
“That much was obvious. I don't imagine I could get four spells in row off against you unanswered if you were wandless and drunk. Why didn’t you even bother to cast a shield? You couldn’t have known what I was going to do to you.”  
“We’re too evenly matched; we had already been duelling for an hour and a half, and I could not foresee an end to it.”

Theseus’ lip twitched, “Tired, were you, old man?”  
Albus scoffed. “Bored. So I decided to see what you would do to me if I let my guard down.”  
“And now you know,” said Theseus, slowly advancing towards Albus.  
“The expelliramus was surprisingly predictable.”

“How about the diffindo?”  
“That was much more – encouraging. I hope you don’t intend to do that to me in class on Thursday.”  
“Oh no. It doesn’t matter to me how many men you’ve had in the past, but I’m keeping you to myself from now on. I won’t have anyone but me seeing you like this.”  
Theseus fired a silencing charm at the door, together with a series of wards, and dropped their wands on the classroom floor. He laid a finger against Albus lips and slowly pressed it into his mouth.

“It is a bit insulting that you let me win…” Theseus said, removing his finger from Albus’ mouth.  
He dropped to his knees, and began teasing Albus’ hole with the finger Albus had wet for him. With his other hand, he began stroking Albus’ balls.  
“But your curiosity and your trust deserve a reward.”  
He removed his hand from Albus’ balls, and took hold of his cock, while slowly working his finger into Albus’ arse. Gods, that felt amazing.  
Albus moaned, a long low moan. Clearly, he thought so too.  
“Are you – going to – un-un- Fuck! untie me?”

“How are you still talking right now? You are nearly capable of complete sentences – that won’t do at all.”  
Theseus removed his finger from Albus long enough to move behind Albus. He licked, then sucked on the spot behind his knee. Albus yelped and nearly fell over.  
“Much better,” said Theseus.  
He licked up Albus’ thigh, slowly. 

“I don’t see why I should untie you.” Theseus sucked three fingers from one of Albus’ bound hands into his mouth, filling it, while reaching around and stroking Albus’ cock.  
After a moment, he freed his mouth to elaborate: “You are the one who decided to let me end the duel my way. I am ending it my way. You are at my mercy now.”  
He stood up, continuing to stroke Albus, and licked his way up the back of Albus’ neck.

“Hmm – can you be very good, Albus?”  
“I don’t know – what does being good entail?”  
Theseus laughed, then licked the shell of Albus’ ear.  
“Feeling cheeky, are you? I guess that answers my question.”  
Albus pressed his arse back against Theseus. “What do I get if I’m very good?”  
“If you can try to be very good, I will untie you.”  
Still teasing Albus' cock with one hand, he wrapped the other arm around his chest and tweaked his nipple.  
“I am going to make you come either way.”

Albus moaned. “I think – that I would rather – not be good.”  
Theseus smiled. Albus liked to be tied up, did he? Excellent.  
Without Albus’ hands to distract him, Theseus was going to catalogue every noise Albus made this time, every tremble, every twitch. He was determined to take care of Albus as well as Albus had been taking care of him.  
Fair or not, Theseus had won the right to make the decisions, and he was going to tease and pleasure Albus until he lost the ability to stand without the aid of Theseus’ magic. And then – then he would be untied. 

////////////////

They returned to Albus’ rooms, with Albus thoroughly wrung out and looking to nap. Theseus declined to join him – he was too wound up, between the duel, and the sex, and the whirring of his brain. He would not be anything like a good sleeping companion. And anyway, he had begun analysing Albus’ duelling style, and imagining ways to make their classroom demonstration both informative and interesting, and he wanted to take some notes before he forgot. 

Two hours later, Albus entered the kitchen, looking genuinely apologetic.  
“I was coming in to inquire about supper…”  
Theseus feigned a stern look. “Taking my cooking for granted already, are you?”  
“Actually, this –“ Albus swept his arm to indicate Theseus, the table, and everything on it, “was exactly what I was expecting to see.”  
Albus bent down and kissed him.  
“I was coming to ask you if you wanted to eat at the Three Broomsticks, or in the Great Hall, or if you might allow me to take you to Edinburgh, to eat somewhere Muggle, where no one will recognize you?”

“Somewhere Muggle?”  
“Just a pub – shepherd’s pie, fish and chips, and so on. But quite good – almost as good as your cooking, I’d say. Thanks to you, no one knows or cares where I am apparating, or who I am apparating with. And I always keep Muggle money on me just in case I need to go to ground – or take a handsome Auror on a date.”  
In case he needed to go to ground? That sounded… paranoid. Then again, when your ex-boyfriend is the most wanted wizard in Europe and the Americas, a little paranoia might be warranted.  
“Handsome, you say?”  
“Yes, I do say. But before that, I said, ‘supper,’ so let’s address that first, shall we?”  
Theseus tilted his head slightly. “I would be delighted to go with you to Edinburgh. Let me clean up a bit first.”

Leaving the castle, Albus led them out further past the wards of Hogwarts than Theseus had anticipated. They began walking towards Hogsmeade. Albus led them just into the edge of the trees.  
“Now it’s my turn to apparate you.”  
Albus put one hand on the side of Theseus’ face, and slowly moved in to kiss him, gently. He put his other hand on Theseus’ lower back, and then – they were in a cobblestone paved alley. Theseus’ eyes shot open – he had never experienced an apparition that – seamless. How did Albus do that?  
Albus broke their kiss and whispered, “Welcome to Edinburgh.”  
He looked up at Theseus and smiled a new smile, a warm smile – this new smile that Theseus had just begun to see. It was too early to name this smile – he didn’t want to get it wrong, so he contented himself with leaving it, like their feelings for each other, unnamed for now.  
“Lead the way.”

/////////////////////

“You’ve taken to the ale better than I expected.”  
“It’s the war. I was expected to mingle with – well, lots of different kinds of people let’s say. One cannot simply spit out something that someone is offering to you as a gesture of hospitality, even if it is bitter or sour or tastes – odd. But it really didn’t take too much time before I grew to like it better than what we can get at – our local pub.”

Albus looked at him for a moment.  
“Forgive me for asking, but how is it that Travers is head of your department and you’re not?”  
“Who wants to be department head? A lot of paperwork, a lot of responsibility, not all that much more control over policy, and next to no fieldwork.”  
“Travers is in the field a good bit.”  
“Yes. Which I’m sure you know is an indication that he has poor control over his department. What he wants to accomplish is sometimes so outrageous that he has no hope of it getting done if he tries to delegate it.  
“In any case, there’s no getting rid of Travers – now that he has the position.”

“They did offer it to you then?”  
“They did. Much as I had no interest in it, I would have taken it if I had known that they were going to give it to Travers.”  
“And yet you stayed to work under him.”  
“Someone has to be there to take off illegally applied devices and evacuate civilians from ad hoc battlefields.”  
“So, you stay there for – damage control?”  
Theseus thought back to what had happened in Paris. He had managed to wrest absolutely no control over the situation – his presence had done nothing to mitigate the damage done to the wizarding population. They had saved Muggle Paris in the end, but so much had been lost.

He did not quite succeed in shaking off that thought, but he did manage to change the subject.  
“Come clean, Dumbledore. Are you going to go down the ‘you’re wasting your life’ route here, or the ‘you’re shallow and self-serving’ route, or the ‘how very little imagination you have displayed in your life choices’ route?”  
“I was going to say that the work you are doing is admirable. Unending. Thankless.  
Insufficient? Yes, inevitably. But making a difference? Saving lives? Also yes.  
“I don’t know that I would choose something so routinely dangerous for you – I felt sure that you were going to die when you walked out of my classroom on Tuesday afternoon. I feared that that interaction might be the last one we had, and I promised myself that I would try to let you know how I felt if I saw you again.”

“And how is it that you felt? What did you wish you had told me?”  
“Then? Mainly just that I wanted you, and I was afraid to tell you, but more afraid that you would die and I would never have had the chance.”  
“And now?”  
“Research is ongoing.”  
Albus was trying to look casual, but it was clear that there was something that he was not saying. Interesting.  
“Fair enough.”

“The work you do suits you, Theseus. It is a dangerous world, and after what happened in Paris, and after seeing what you are capable of today – you are better equipped than almost anyone else to survive the conditions under which you work. Though life is not chess – in the field, luck is as much a factor as skill, as we both well know.  
“In any case, whether you continue to work in law enforcement or not, I know you well enough, I think, to say that there is nothing that you would choose to do that would be a waste.”

They ate in silence for several minutes.  
“I thought I was going to die in Paris, too. I fought to keep us out of it, but Travers –“  
Albus rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively, as if to say, ‘you need say no more than the man’s name for me to know that idiocy followed.’  
“Someone in my charge killed a girl. A civilian. That’s what started it all off. I mean, obviously Grindelwald baited the crowd and law enforcement, both. He is very good at manipulation. But if we had not been there at all – there was no reason for us to be there – certainly not openly. Those men assigned to me – many of them could not have been restrained by anyone – they were looking for an excuse to fight. I would have preferred to select perhaps two or three officers to attend – just to know what Grindelwald is saying. It was a time for subtlety, not brute force.”

Albus thought about this for a minute.  
“I do wish you had taken that job. There are other ways besides field work to make a difference.”  
“That’s just it. I made absolutely no difference being there. I was given no choice about how many to bring, or which ones, and not a one of them listened to my instructions. Almost all of them were lost. I saved no one.”  
“No one but Newt. Newt told me that it was not just Leta who saved the two of you, but that it was only by working together that the two of you were able to keep the flames at bay – if you hadn’t, neither of you would have been alive for Leta to save.”  
And in that scenario, Leta wouldn’t have died. That was one hell of an exchange.

“You think I could have saved more people if I had been in Travers’ position.”  
“I don’t know that for sure.”  
“But you think so.”  
“With your strategic sense…”

“Arguably, it was your strategic sense – you told me what to do, what would happen.”  
“I gave you a single sentence. You made your own observations, your own analysis. Take credit for your work, Theseus. You had only one striking failing as a seventh year defence student – you didn’t recognize your own original thoughts. You were quick to give some authority credit for any conclusion you made – even conclusions you had come to on your own – conclusions that perhaps no one else had ever come to before. You found a way to claim they were someone else’s work.  
“I imagine this is why you have never published. I’d be very interested to see what you would write, if you only realized that you do in fact have ideas worth writing about.”

“Did you just go after me personally, while asserting a hierarchical relationship between yourself and me?”  
“I’m sorry, what?”  
“Is it that hard to be vulnerable with me? To admit that you might have feelings for me? That you have personal feelings at all?”  
“Theseus – what the hell are you talking about?”  
“You started talking about what I was like as a student –“  
“You were my student – that’s a historical fact.”  
“And criticizing my behaviour –“  
“Do you even remember lambasting me over my gross ignorance of the culture of - servants? When was that? Ah, yes. Yesterday.” 

Albus smiled – a cold smile masquerading as a warm smile – and Theseus knew at once that he had gone too far. It was so hard to keep his head when he was filtering his every word for the sake of the Muggles around them.  
No, that wasn’t what had happened at all. He had been raw with the loss – with his sense of powerlessness to stop everything that had happened – he had been the one to open that door – to invite Albus into his misery. And then Albus had flushed out the idea that had been creeping around the edges of his consciousness – that none of this might have happened if he had not selfishly rejected Travers’ job.  
From that moment, Theseus had been looking for an opportunity to lash out – to punish Albus. And punish him he had - He had pushed Albus to the point of shutting down. With Albus in that state, an apology was not going to make an impression. It would just slide right off of him. Damn. 

Theseus did what he always did when he didn’t know what to do – he fell back onto his Auror training. If this was an interrogation, what would he do? He would change the game. 

“You know what I call that one?”  
“Call what?”  
“That smile. I call it your ‘permanent state of complete occlusion’ smile.”  
Albus laughed. A genuine laugh, happy and surprised. Startled out of his earlier mood. Thank the heavens, it worked.  
“You’ve named my smiles?”  
“…some of them.”  
“Tell me some more?”  
“Oh no. You are going to have to earn that information.”  
Albus rolled his eyes, and stole Theseus’ last chip in retaliation.  
“Finish your pint, Theseus, and we’ll depart.”  
Theseus laughed.  
“Feeling impatient, Albus? Why don’t you have the last couple of swallows? Wash down that chip you stole.”

Later, walking together towards the apparition point, Theseus bumped against Albus. Any onlooker would have thought that he was staggeringly slightly, but Theseus knew that Albus would know that he was perfectly sober – that he just needed to make contact and couldn’t wait.  
“I’m sorry.”  
“I know.”  
“They’re all dead, and I – nothing I could have done right then would have stopped it, but if I had agreed to be Head Auror –“  
“Theseus – this is Gellert’s fault. All of it.”  
Well. That was true to a point, but it was at least partly Travers’ fault, and if it was Travers’ fault, then it was at least partly Theseus’ fault. But it was kind of Albus to say so.  
“Grindelwald’s. I want you to start calling him Grindelwald.”  
“Jealous?”  
No – that wasn’t the right word. Theseus didn’t need – didn’t even want for Albus to feel for him the way he had felt for Grindelwald.  
“Protective.”  
Albus nodded – then he whisked them back to the woods outside of Hogsmeade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So - I don't know if any of the rest of you are like this, but - when I say, 'Oh, it's all pre-written, so I can just post one chapter a day,' what I mean is, 'I can totally find an hour for my last minute obsessive rereads, rewrites, etc.'  
It's worth it to have an end result I'm proud of, but... If I seem a little erratic about the time of day that I post, that's why - I'm not just posting :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I edited this one, it got longer, and longer, until it is now the longest chapter so far.  
I blame Theseus' insistence on teaching Albus about house elves. ;)

Chapter 9  
Monday

Theseus had found that it was easier to have difficult conversations when walking. So, early in the morning, when the sky was just starting to lighten, he suggested to Albus that they take a walk in the hills above the Black Lake.  
They were only about ¼ mile from the school when Theseus began.  
“You did not grow up with house elves.”  
“I am obviously familiar with house elves.”

“That was not my question. What I am trying to discern here is your earliest exposure to house elves. When did you first interact with a house elf?”  
“Probably at Hogwarts.”  
“Elves who make your dinner do not count unless you actually speak to them.”

“Alright – then, visiting a school friend, sixth year.”  
“You were sixteen, then?”  
“Yes, but –“  
“And you saw them – once, I’m guessing? Didn’t speak to the elf in question directly?”  
Albus rolled his eyes.  
Theseus ignored him and continued. “Being brought up by house elves has its disadvantages, of course. But for those of us in families who treat their elves properly, it gives us familiarity with house elf psychology, and house elf culture.”

“You are giving me my house elf lessons now, it seems. Before breakfast, on a day when I have a full class schedule. Yesterday we covered Grindelwald, as well as my entire sexual history. Today, house elves. You are relentless!”  
“I’m just – I’m worried about you. It is important to have the house elves on your side. They are capable of invisibility, they are capable of apparition across otherwise uncrossable wards. They – “  
Theseus broke off, seeing Albus looking at him and smiling the new smile, the fond smile.  
“You – aren’t frustrated with me?”  
Albus laughed. “Not at all. I know what I’m getting with you, and I couldn’t be happier. Carry on with your lecture, Professor Scamander – House elves make important allies, etc.”

Theseus looked at Albus for a moment, confused. Nobody enjoyed being on the receiving end of one of his rants. Knowing that didn’t make him any less prone to do it, but he was aware that this habit didn’t endear him to anyone. Except for Albus, apparently?  
“Right. House elves. I – “  
Theseus had forgotten what he was going to say. “May I – ?”  
He leaned forward, and Albus smiled into the kiss. They sat down, and kissed some more, and Theseus leaned against Albus.  
Albus smiled (affably arrogant). “So – all I have to do is tell you I’m happy and call you Professor, and you are totally derailed?”  
Theseus cleared his throat. “It would seem so.”

“Well, sadly we cannot sit out here snogging all morning, so I would suggest you finish telling me what you brought me out here to say, so that we can eat. We’ll need our energy, if we’re to entertain 35 sixteen year olds.”  
“I rather think the moment is lost.”

“What moment is that? The one where you ambush me? I assure you that I, for one, will not mind having fair warning before the tiger springs.”  
Theseus looked at Albus’ eyes, sparkling with mischief. He was teasing. Theseus melted. Gods, he lo – um – liked Albus a lot. Theseus looked away so that he could focus on something other than his confused feelings for the extraordinary man beside him.

“Ok, then. House elves. They can cause a great deal of damage, or they can be invaluable, depending upon their opinion of you – even if they are bound to you, they can find ways to cross you if it pleases them. But there are no limits to what a house elf who is not bound to you may do – only that they may not directly kill or maim you. And you have no elves who are bound to you. This could rapidly become a dangerous situation for you.”  
“But the Hogwarts elves –“  
“Need only obey you if you give them a direct order. And that does not even apply to all of the Hogwarts elves – only to those who have been designated to serve the faculty. Furthermore, they are only bound to serve the best interests of Hogwarts as a whole – there is no restriction on them acting against your personal interests, so they don’t even need to make creative interpretations of what those interests might be.”

“So – how can I avoid alienating house elves? Since that seems to be the purpose of your lecture. Professor.“  
Theseus suppressed a laugh. He had not expected Albus to have such a sense of humour about this whole thing.  
“The difficulty is how easy it is to insult a house elf. They exist to serve. They will not suffer lightly any implication that they are not serving you well, any refusal you give of service that they offer, any real or perceived slight you make towards one they are bound to serve.  
"If what you ask of an elf’s master in dangerous, or even against what that elf sees as their master’s nature, they will blame you – even if it was their master’s choice to follow through on the – opportunity, as you so often put it.  
“Given this, how many people besides Newt do you think might have elves that believe you are or have been a danger to their masters?”

Albus thought for a moment.  
“_Anything_ potentially dangerous?”  
“Or that an elf might _perceive_ as dangerous.”  
“And every pureblood family has an elf –“  
“Well, most every pureblood family – and more than half have more than one. And some halfblood families have elves as well.”  
“Merlin! I’m fucked.”

Theseus did laugh this time.  
“Yes, I rather think that you are. I was planning to meet with Troilus, if I can find an opening today, so that we can assess the damage done, and how we can fix it.”  
“Today is a busy day for me – what time were you thinking?”

“Albus, I think that it is better that I meet Troilus by myself this time. Unless you believe that you can behave with abject humility, treating Troilus with deference as if he were your better.”  
“Do I really need to go that far?”  
“Troilus has an extraordinarily negative opinion of you. It is going to take extreme measures to win him over.”  
“Honestly, Theseus –“  
“That’s a no, then.”

“You are a good man, Albus Dumbledore. Principled, funny, intelligent, and sexy as hell. I am already finding that I want to spend the better part of every day with you. But you are terrible with house elves.”  
“I believe that is your cue to kiss me in a reassuring way.”  
Theseus growled, “I think that I can do better than that,” and then he pushed Albus back onto the grass and straddled him.  
Albus looked up at him. “I don’t know that we have enough time for you to – do better than that.”  
Theseus cast a tempus and sighed. Albus was right. Breakfast was in fifteen minutes, and they had a bit of a walk ahead of them.  
“Very well. Reassuring kisses it is.”  
He bent down and kissed Albus, slowly and gently, but thoroughly. Then he pulled back and gazed at Albus – at his lips, slightly parted, his eyes, open wider than usual, his face, relaxed…  
It would have been the perfect time to say, “I love you,” if Theseus weren’t so terrified.  
Instead what he did was climb off of Albus, stand up, and offer his hand to help Albus off the ground. Instead, what he said was, “Let’s go back.”

/////////////

Albus offered to stay back and eat breakfast with Theseus in his quarters, but it seemed important to Theseus that Albus eat in the Great Hall, so that he could be seen by his colleagues and students. There was sure to be talk about his seeming absence over the weekend as it was, but perhaps a return to the normal routine would be enough to draw students’ attention elsewhere. 

“You could come with me, you know,” Albus said, as he was pulling on his faculty robe.  
Theseus shook his head. “I’d rather not be the object of the students’ gossip.”  
“They’re going to see you eventually anyway – and the sooner they do, the sooner they’ll move on to something else.”  
“Oh yes, I’m sure there are many things here more interesting than the tragic story of the war hero whose stunning fiancée was killed before his eyes by Gellert Grindelwald.”

“Indeed, there are – for instance, I hear that there is some question about whether the Gryffindor Seeker is dating the Ravenclaw Seeker, and what the consequences of that will be when they play against each other for the House Cup this weekend. _There’s_ a provocative story.”  
Theseus smiled. “Very well. I’ll join you in the Great Hall for meals starting with dinner tonight. The whole school will know I’m here by then anyway.”

Theseus kissed Albus, turned him around, and spanked him lightly.  
“Now go! Run along – play with your friends.”  
Albus groaned, and turned back around to face Theseus. He pulled Theseus into a hug and kissed his neck.  
“I don’t want to have to leave you here – I don’t want for the weekend to be over – I just want to be with you.”

Theseus pulled back just enough to look at Albus, to read his eyes, his forehead, the corners of his mouth…  
Gods, Albus was his. Already his. Theseus chest hurt for a moment, with the sweet pain of certainty. He meant something to Albus. He wouldn’t have thought it possible a week ago.

“Lucky for you, there are not so many months left before winter break, and there are weekends, as the name implies, at the end of every week,” Theseus assured him with a smile.  
Then he let go of Albus. “Go on. As soon as you’re done with breakfast, we can have some fun teaching together. And we’ll find a way to spend some time alone together between classes.”

///////////

Theseus was already standing outside of Albus’ classroom when Albus arrived from the Great Hall after breakfast.  
“I’ve received a number of dirty looks. Your students remember that I was here with Travers.”  
“So you were! Perhaps you are getting only what you deserve.”  
“Oh, very nice, Professor. As if I had any choice about that.”  
“Hmm. We can discuss the binding of the will and the limits of free choice at another time. For now –“  
Albus opened the door, and gestured for Theseus to enter.  
“Please feel welcome in my classroom, Auror Scamander. I will be sure word gets around that you are not a great turnip.”

“Who’s a turnip, Professor?”  
Theseus turned to see a tall red-headed boy in Gryffindor robes, standing in the doorway.  
“No one in this classroom, Mr. Prewett!”  
The Prewett boy noticed Theuseus, and eyed him warily before looking back at Albus.  
“Are you alright, Professor?”  
Albus laughed. “Thank you, for your concern, Mr. Prewett, but I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself – please sit.”

Theseus decided to move to a more inconspicuous place, to expedite the process of getting the students seated, and to spare Albus from having to reject quite so many well-meaning offers of aid.  
‘The little criminals,’ his inner voice supplied. Theseus snorted.  
He watched as the class filled, and when the last student was seated, Albus caught his eye, and Theseus joined him at the front of the class.

“Good morning, class! This is my friend, Theseus Scamander. You may call him Auror Scamander or Mr. Scamander. He is going to be helping teach my classes for the next three weeks.”  
There was a murmuring, which grew louder as all of the students began talking to one another.

“Alright, everyone. That’s enough. I will not be taking any questions about this, but so that we can move on, I will answer some of the rudest ones that I overheard just now.  
“Yes, Theseus really is my friend. I have known him for years. He was a seventh year student here the first year I was teaching.  
“No, he is not here by order of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He is here by my invitation, visiting while he is on bereavement leave.  
“No, not everything you read about Paris in the papers was true. But yes, Auror Scamander was there. He faced off against Grindelwald and is, as you can see, still alive. He, his brother, and a handful of other witches and wizards managed to save Muggle Paris from Grindelwald’s fiendfyre. But his fiancée, together with many of his friends and co-workers, lost their lives that day. I know that you all will be sufficiently respectful of Auror Scamander and his loss to not speak further of that day in this classroom. That topic is off limits in here for the rest of the year.”

“I hope that you will show my friend the same respect you show me. He has been in the field for almost 20 years – both as an auror and as a soldier, and I think that we all have a lot that we could learn from him.  
“Auror Scamander?”

Theseus was stunned. Albus had said nothing about how he was going to introduce Theseus. Perhaps he hadn’t known himself.  
Theseus hadn’t been prepared for Albus to talk about Paris, but it was obvious now that he had to. That was probably what a good bit of that noise had been about.  
He couldn’t share what he had prepared today. He wasn’t ready to talk about actual violent conflict on the job.  
What else was in the sixth year curriculum? Ah, yes. Polyjuice.

//////////

Theseus had warmed up leftover stew for their lunch.  
Albus had not been sitting half a minute before offering his opinion on the first lesson of the day.  
“I cannot believe that you managed to make your first mini-lesson revolve around potions!” Albus said, gesturing at Theseus with his spoon. “The one thing I ask you not to do…”

“Polyjuice was _mentioned_ – in essence, the lesson revolved around the importance of knowing your friends – of not making the mistake of assuming identity on the basis of physical appearance, given the many methods for altering appearances that are available to witches and wizards.  
“Observation is less exciting than flashy spells when it comes to Defence, but it is just as essential – perhaps even more so.”

“The polyjuice they have been brewing in Potions class will be ready to decant in two weeks.”  
“I know,” said Theseus, doing his best to hide his smile. “It’s going to be chaos.”  
“Well, it is _now_. You have them all excited about being able to tell whether the person is who they seem to be or not on the basis of facial expressions and posture and social knowledge and so on – they are going to be absconding with the finished potion and running around disguised as other students, seeing if they can fool one another.”  
“Mmmhmm. Perhaps even disguised as professors.”

Albus looked annoyed.  
“Why isn’t this rule breaking bothering you more? I thought you were the orderly one, and Newt was the chaotic one.”  
Thought you had us pegged, did you Albus?  
“They are 16 year olds, with completely inadequate adult supervision. Chaos is a given. Mischief is a given. I pointed them in the direction of a particular kind of mischief, turning it into a kind of game, while all the time they will be learning one of the things that I think is most important to being a successful adult – how to actually pay attention to other people. So no, it is not bothering me a bit, because they are going to be doing exactly what I had hoped they would be doing.  
“You do not have the corner on covert behavioural engineering, Albus.”

Albus looked astonished.  
“You did it on purpose.”  
“Yes.”  
“It was not a miscalculation.”  
“Indeed not. That would be the opposite of having done it on purpose.” 

“But it was not the 6th year lecture that you had prepared – what happened to your collection of Aguamenti anecdotes?“  
“Oh – Paris happened. When you –“  
“I’m so sorry Theseus, I –“  
“No, Albus, you should let me finish – you don’t need to apologize at all. Of course you needed to say something. If anything, you were protecting me by saying all that you said!” Theseus reached out and took Albus’ hand.  
“But I had not prepared myself – I haven’t had to interact with anyone who didn’t already know the story since – well, practically since it had happened.”  
“And it happened only three and a half days ago, Theseus. So it is excusable if you are still too raw for all this – do you want to wait to start teaching until next week?”

“Did I not do a good job?”  
“You did a wonderful job – I will even admit that I was wrong to discourage you from talking about potions. The students were enthralled. And inspired, may the gods spare us.”  
“Then I want to keep doing it. I can make adjustments on the fly, Albus. It’s what I do. It’s how I keep doing what I do. I don’t shut down – I just switch tracks.”

“What did you think about the first years?”  
“I think that it is inspired to put the Slytherins and the Hufflepuffs together. Though I do wonder how well the Ravenclaws do with the Gryffindors. I guess I’ll find out on Wednesday.”  
“I had meant – how did you feel your lesson went with the first years?”  
Ah. Right. Of course.  
“I had not expected them to be quite that excited by my Wingardium Leviosa demonstration.”  
“Well it was extraordinary, how many individual items you were able to levitate at a time.”  
“Oh, it’s all in the head. Fifteen is no more difficult than two. It is getting them to move independently that is truly difficult. You may have noticed that the robes I was working with were all moving in concert.”  
Albus rolled his eyes, and Theseus remembered Albus’ assertion about Theseus never taking credit for anything he did. Albus might have a point there. 

“Was it true, the story about using that trick to spook a criminal, making him think that there were a dozen Aurors with you, when it was just you and your partner?”  
“True story. I’m not going to tell them any stories that aren’t true. I might clean them up a little, but not to the point of making them up entirely.”  
“I wonder how many students we’ll see trying to levitate multiple items at a time?”  
“That’s the idea.”

/////////

That night, Albus and Theseus lay in bed on their sides, facing one another.  
“So how was your first day?”  
“Hmm -? I enjoyed it. But I do wonder: do you still find it enjoyable after 20 years?”  
“It does get a bit redundant. The same spells, the same lessons, the same creatures, year after year.”  
“You don’t change your lessons?”  
“Well, it is hard, when the Board of Governors sets the textbooks, and the required skills for the OWLs and NEWTs are set by the ministry.”

That made sense, but – that still seemed to leave a good bit of wiggle room. It seemed more likely to Theseus that Albus wasn’t engaged enough in the discipline to bother finding new ways to teach it, than that his hands were tied.  
That reminded Theseus of Albus’ hands being tied behind his back yesterday. He looked forward to testing the limits of Albus’ comfort with restraints. And there had been some talk of role play earlier – those would likely pair very nicely.

Albus pulled Theseus in for a kiss.  
“You do not look like you are thinking about Defence Against the Dark Arts anymore.”  
“Hmm. I suppose that depends upon your perspective,” said Theseus, before reaching down for Albus’ cock.  
“Oh! Fuck! Theseus – as much as I – um – yes – I don’t think we were done talking?”

“Oh?” Theseus removed his hand. “What are you preferring to talk about?”  
“It’s not about preferring, Love. We – started a line of conversation, and I think that I need to get a few thoughts out of my head, so that I’m with you entirely when you touch me.”  
That seemed fair.  
“That makes sense, Albus – what are you _needing_ to talk about?”

“Well... Honestly? Newt.”  
Theseus laughed. “Now I’m glad that you stopped me. I wouldn’t want you thinking about my brother while I’m getting you off!”  
Albus considered Theseus for a moment.  
“Ok – let’s put what I was going to say on hold. It seems that you might need to be reassured that I have never desired a relationship with your brother.”  
“Have you ever wanted to fuck him?”

“I’m fairly certain that he is only interested in women, Theseus.”  
“And I am fairly certain that that is not an answer to my question, Albus.”  
Albus made a frustrated noise.  
“Yes, ok? It is not that I never thought about it. But not often, and never for long.”  
Theseus felt irrationally offended on Newt’s behalf that Albus had not thought about his brother that way very often, and at the same time irrationally jealous that Albus had ever thought about his brother that way at all.  
“Why not?”

“Lots of reasons. Because I wanted you, and sleeping with your brother would totally close that door. Because I didn’t want a relationship with him, and he seems like a relationship person – it wouldn’t be right to have sex with him once and then walk away. Because I prefer openly confident men, like yourself, and Newt’s confidence is more – covert, except when it comes to his creatures. And because someone not being attracted to me does rather put a damper on my attraction to them.”  
“To sum up – your brother is objectively attractive, but you are the one that I want, and have been for a long time. Good enough?”

Surprisingly, it was. But Theseus couldn’t resist needling Albus just a little.  
“So, we’re in bed, and you start thinking of my brother…”  
“Theseus!” Albus looked defensive, until understanding broke over his face – it reminded Theseus of a sunrise. 

“Oh! You are not – hurt by what I just said?”  
“Not at all, Albus – you ended at a good place. I like being the one that you have wanted for a long time. I like that you thought about keeping the door open for me, even over all those years.” Then Theseus added, “Besides, you are right. Newt is only interested in women, so you would have no chance with him, even if you did want him.”  
Albus laughed appreciatively. “So, we are done talking about Newt, then?”  
“Not at all! You are the one who brought him up, and you never said what you were intending to say!”

“Right. We had been talking about the redundancy of teaching. And I was thinking that there are new children every year – and getting to know how they work keeps things interesting – for a little while. The problem is that most of the children don’t take all that long to figure out, but your brother – he was very unusual. And Leta was unique as well – and they were such an odd pair – they kept things interesting. Selfishly, it was one of the great tragedies of your brother’s expulsion, for me, anyway. He had not ceased to be surprising. I had been looking forward to another two years of him being surprising. It was easier to enjoy Hogwarts when your brother was around, making all kinds of new trouble.”  
Well, if Albus was looking for all kinds of new trouble, the anticipated Polyjuice pandemonium would keep things lively, at least for a few weeks. 

Theseus wondered why Albus had hidden himself away at Hogwarts for two decades if he found it so very boring. He thought about Grindelwald – Albus’ relationship with him had left him afraid of love. Was that all he was afraid of? Was he afraid that he could have been Grindelwald himself – that he might have endangered the world if he were released from Hogwarts into the world of politics and power?  
If anything, Theseus imagined that Albus was more of a danger at Hogwarts than anywhere – not so much because young Wix were so manipulable, but because Albus had so little to occupy his mind – and there was no telling what a Wizard of his power and intelligence might get into if sufficiently bored.

What could he find to occupy Albus?  
Of course, there were the house-elves, for starters. Filling this unexpected gap in Albus’ knowledge of magical life would be good for shaking him up, in addition to all of the other benefits. And once he had mastered house elves? Hopefully by then, Theseus would have picked up on something else with which he could busy Albus. It would probably require pulling him away from Hogwarts.

Albus reached out and touched Theseus’ shoulder.  
“You’ve been quiet.”  
“I’ve been thinking about house elves.”  
“You have not!”  
Albus appeared to be genuinely incredulous.  
“Well, not at first. At first, I was thinking about you, and about our day, and about what life with you might be like, and that somehow brought me around to house elves.”  
Albus had asked at lunchtime about Theseus’ meeting with Troilus, but Theseus said that they should wait and talk about it later – and indeed, they had had plenty to talk about at lunch without talking about the elves.

“As you know, I spoke with Troilus, and he told me that there are only six elves on the list –“  
“Six?!” Albus asked incredulously. “Whose – ?”  
“You interrupted me too quickly. Only six elves that we need to concern ourselves with for starters. The others are low priority, and in any case, there in a limit to how much you will have time for.”  
“Six – _to begin with?_”

“Yes. Mipsy and three other Hogwarts elves – you have to do all of the Hogwarts elves at once, or there will be hard feelings. Then there is Travers’ elf, Ellie. She does not like Travers much, but she is bound to him, and she is under the impression that you are the reason that Travers is such a difficult master. Before you say anything – anyone could see that Travers’ behaviour towards anyone, not least his personal elf, is no responsibility of yours. But we would do well to have her well disposed towards you.”  
“If I do reach out to her, then Travers will have even more reason to believe that I’m against him.”  
“Firstly, he won’t know. Secondly, whatever you may say publicly, you are against him. You know you are.”  
“He’s your boss!”  
“Yes, unfortunately. But again, _he won’t know_.”

“That was five elves.”  
“Well, I would have thought that Troilus was obvious.”  
“You would be much better suited –“  
“What is it you said to Newt? That’s right – ‘I cannot do this – it has to be you.’”  
“Actually, I believe I said –“

“Troilus is not angry at me. He is angry at you. And it is going to take a lot more to win him over than the usual gifts. Newt has always been his favourite, and he is insistent that you have been treating Newt badly.  
“And Troilus is very social and a bit of a gossip – he knows every elf, and every bad word they have had to say about anybody for the past hundred years or more. He has decided that it is no wonder that someone who has dishonoured – that’s his word, not mine, to be clear – who has dishonoured so many elves would ‘willingly endanger’ his Newt.  
“And he is affecting fearfulness that you will ‘corrupt’ me and turn me against elves everywhere. Which he knows very well is an exaggeration both of your own attitudes towards house elves, and my own potential for neglecting my elf friends. But it is never a good sign when he reaches the point of being dramatic.”

“Troilus sounds – very difficult.”  
“For you? He will be. But I’ve done what I can to make the way easier for you. I’m afraid I had to paint you as a bit stupid and uncultured.”  
Albus laughed, “Did you?”  
Theseus was glad that Albus found this funny. In his relief, he laughed too. “Yes, I told him that it was going to take a while for us to train you properly, and that he shouldn’t expect much of you in the beginning.”  
Albus smirked. “I’m glad I know what you really think of me, or I’d have to get out of bed and pace around, brooding. You are a very annoying man, Theseus Scamander.”

Yes, Theseus was sure that it was very annoying to have it pointed out that you have been insensitive to creatures you had been interacting with on a daily basis. But Albus seemed to be moving on quickly from indignation to amusement, as Theseus had hoped that he would. It was a short step from there to amends.

Theseus reached down and grabbed Albus’ cock through his pyjamas.  
“Annoying, am I?”  
Albus groaned. “Perhaps not all that annoying.”  
“How about now?”  
Theseus worked his hand into Albus’ pants, so that he could touch him directly.  
His flesh was so hot, his skin so soft over his rock hard cock – touching him made Theseus instantly hard in response.

“What if – ahhh! – What if I need a great deal more convincing?”  
“Mmmm… What would it take to convince you?”  
“Your mouth – I need your mouth, and your throat – I – I have never been with someone who can swallow my entire cock the way you can, and –“

Theseus loved it when a man asked for what he wanted.  
No – that sounded all wrong. He wanted _this particular man_ to ask for what he wanted – and he did ask, just now. Albus asking for Theseus to go down on him was even more of a turn on than Theseus would have guessed.

As Albus had been speaking, Theseus had been peeling Albus off of him, removing what little clothing he had on, and licking his way down Albus’ body. Theseus loved the way that Albus’ shoulders smelled and tasted differently from his nipples, from his belly, from the skin beside his balls. It would be wrong to say that Albus smelled any particular way – instead he smelled many particular ways, and Theseus had catalogued them all.  
When Theseus finally did begin working his way down Albus’ cock, Albus' words were replaced by the most provocative nonsense sounds – they made Thesesus’ cock twitch.  
But he didn’t reach down to touch himself – his hands were otherwise occupied, trying to find the places that would most drive Albus mad.  
Right now, he was finding his pleasure in pleasuring Albus.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theseus might have suggested roleplay earlier, but... he has clearly never done it before.

Chapter 10  
Tuesday

After the last class of the day, Theseus and Albus had returned to Albus’ sitting room sofa for some pre-dinner reading.  
“Practice duel again tonight?” Theseus asked, casually. He wasn’t sure he wanted Albus to know just how much he enjoyed sparring with him.  
“It would have to be well past curfew – I have patrol.”

“Patrol. Honestly. If getting caught is an uncertain thing, then it actually encourages people to gamble on illegal behaviour. I do not understand why wards have not been tried. There should be multiple wards placed by each head of house on the common rooms, preventing exit and setting off alarms and marking the students who cross them – turning their hair green, say. There is no reason for anyone to be out patrolling.”  
Albus laughed. “You just don’t want to have to stay up late waiting for me!  
“Whatever the truth of your suggestion might be, Theseus, no one has instituted such measures yet, so I will be patrolling tonight.”

“What does that mean? 12:30? 1?”  
“I think we could meet in the room by 2am.”  
Theseus was silent.  
“You are going to be out from 10pm to 2am?”  
“Well, these days, faculty patrol the halls from 8:30pm to 1:30am – unless we discover some great mischief just before the end of patrol, and then we are stuck staying up as long as necessary to take care of it.”  
“I imagine that the observational skills of the professors start to wane about 12:30.”  
“That is – an accurate characterization. Well done, Auror.”

Theseus blushed, which was unusual for him. He’d trained that response away pretty well. It was important not to have tells, particularly when interrogating suspects.  
Albus looked at him for a long moment.  
“I think that I will see if I can trade shifts with Minerva.”

“Shifts?”  
“She has 8:30-11 tonight, and I have 11-1:30.”  
“Oh! Then – it doesn’t sound necessary to trade at all! We could just duel at 8, and that would give you...” Albus looked more predatory than he had seen him – outside of their duels, which was part of why Theseus would duel Albus every night if he could – he just about lost his ability to breathe when Albus looked at him like that – like he was going to chase him down and tear him to pieces.  
He barely managed to choke out three words: “What is it?”

“I thought that our practice duel last night went well.”  
“Yes...?”  
It had indeed gone quite well. The duel had been like a dance on Monday evening – a performance. And then...  
After yesterday and the day before, Theseus was coming to appreciate that duelling Albus qualified as foreplay. In fact, he was becoming a bit anxious about how well they’d do staying appropriate in front of the seventh years on Thursday. Tomorrow night, they should probably practice having a duel _without_ sex afterwards – hell, without the banter during – their trash talking alone would be enough of a tip-off for the students.

“So I don’t see a need for us to prepare for Thursday further.”  
“Oh,” said Theseus, disappointed. Maybe Albus didn’t have quite the duelling kink that Theseus was developing. “But – “

“I’d like to see what we can do if we go all out.”  
Oh! Oh yes he did. Thank the gods.  
“So – no spell restrictions, as long as we don’t do serious physical damage?”  
“And wordless spells would be allowed – since we don’t have anyone needing to hear what we’re doing.”  
“And wandless?”  
“Yes. And we can use the whole classroom.”  
“How about apparition?”  
“We can’t apparate at Hogwarts anyway.”  
Right.  
Theseus couldn’t wait to see what Albus could do when he was cut loose. He was straining against his trousers just thinking about it.

But Albus wasn’t done yet. “And... I’d like for you to wear your Auror’s uniform?”  
Oh? Oh!  
“You mean...”  
“Yes, I do believe that something was said earlier about role-play? _Auror_ Scamander?”

////////////

At 11:30, Albus arrived in the Defence classroom. By prior arrangement, Theseus was giving him a head start to set up the room to his satisfaction.  
Five minutes later, Theseus came into the Defence classroom (broom factory?), shut and warded the door, and roared, “Dumbledore! Show yourself, you bastard!”  
He felt a rush go through his entire body. They had begun.

After duelling (and taunting) each other for thirty minutes, Theseus broke character.

“Not that it isn’t a tremendous turn on, how adept you are at this...”  
Albus cast an Opugno on a broom, sending it flying at Theseus. He easily dodged it and turned it into a kitten, which landed on its feet and ran off.  
“...but you are going to have to lose soon...”  
Theseus attempted to transfigure Albus’ shoes into fish, but Albus dodged.  
“...if you want Auror Scamander to have the energy to take you back to the Ministry and have his way with you in the interrogation room.”

Albus and Theseus shot off spells at the same time, which met between them in a shower of sparks. The coloured light streaming out of Albus’ wand illuminating Albus’ face distracted Theseus just long enough for his spell to falter, and he was hit by Albus’ spell, which removed Theseus’ shirt.  
Theseus laughed. That was going to create more problems for Albus than it would for him.

Albus countered, “I think an alternate scenario could work just as well...”  
Albus made the floor slick beneath Theseus, but Theseus quickly reversed it, and then shot a spell of his own creation at the floor beneath Albus – the floor would continue to appear horizontal, but it would behave like a steep slope.  
Albus slid away from Theseus, and fell on his arse, but not before firing off an Opugno at a stack of broom straws. Theseus transfigured them into mosquitoes, and sent them back towards Albus.

“What if the wicked Professor Dumbledore defeats Auror Scamander and kidnaps and orally tortures him?”  
Theseus, startled, neglected to take advantage of Albus’ vulnerable position. Albus vanished the mosquitoes, righted the floor, stood up, and transfigured the workbenches into a flock of chickens. Theseus nearly tripped over the workbench – now chicken – that he had previously been using as cover.

“That is not what we discussed beforehand...” Theseus dodged a Confundo.  
“...but I am not opposed.”

Theseus directed an Incendio at a broom that was on the floor right beside Albus, who imperfectly deflected it back towards Theseus, accidentally hitting a chicken instead. They both fired an Aguamenti at it, alarming the chicken. Theseus changed the chickens all back into workbenches, and vanished the grass beneath his feet.  
“Are you proposing that we just see how this plays out, then, Albus?”  
Albus conjured a white flag.  
“Truce, dammit.”

Albus walked towards Theseus. His sweat-soaked shirt was torn in two places, one cuff of his trousers was singed, the back of his hand had dried blood on it, and he had a hard set to his jaw as he stared Theseus down. Fuck, he was sexy. Theseus couldn’t wait to tie that man down.  
“Oh, have I got you cursing like a Muggle now?”  
“I’m a Halfblood, Theseus – I have always cursed like a Muggle. Just not around Purebloods.”  
“I’m a Pureblood.”  
Albus was almost close enough to touch at this point. But it wasn’t time. Theseus needed to take him down first.  
“You don’t count, and you know it. You got all ‘corrupted’ by spending time with Muggle soldiers during the war.” Albus closed the gap and kissed Theseus roughly, then he abruptly pulled away.

“Now get the fuck back into character, you Arse!” Albus turned his back on Theseus, trusting him not to break the truce. “I need Auror Scamander back, so that I can trounce him properly and carry him back to my hideout.”  
Theseus laughed, “We’ll see about that... Ready?”  
Albus shot up some green sparks, which Theseus took as an answer. He shot an incarcerous, which Albus easily blocked without even looking.

Theseus put on a stern face.  
“Surrender now, Dumbledore, and we’ll go easy on you.”  
“Why should I surrender? You’re losing! You will never take me in! Bombarda!”  
Albus had seriously just blown up part of his classroom. He was maybe a little _too much_ in character. 

Theseus sent a jelly-legs curse at Albus, which he blocked, naturally. It was entirely too difficult to hit Albus with anything.  
“The anti-apparition wards –“  
“Are weakening. I’ve taken out all of your fellow Aurors...” Theseus dodged a silencing charm. “...You have no backup. You alone are holding up these wards.”

Theseus dislodged a piece of plaster from the ceiling and dropped it on Albus’ head. It hit! Aha. Albus was willing to be destructive, but was expecting that Theseus wouldn’t be. What else was he not expecting?

“I don’t need backup to take you in – I can see that you are tiring.”  
Albus ducked behind a crate for cover – but it was on a pallet, raising the crate ever so slightly off the floor. There was a two inch gap between the top and the bottom of the pallet, and Theseus could just barely see Albus’ foot. He set Albus’ shoe on fire.  
Albus shot up in surprise before dousing the flames with an Aguamenti. 

While Albus was distracted, Theseus shot off a Confundus (which Albus, as he expected, blocked in an almost perfunctory manner), covering that he had also sent a croquet ball across the floor. It rolled behind the desk and split open, releasing a cloud of an aerosolized sleeping potion.  
Albus reeled. “You – fucking –“  
He dropped, but not before Theseus cast a cushioning charm beneath him. 

Albus came to in a sterile space, empty of anything save one chair. He was suspended upright, just inches off the floor, and immobile except for his face.  
“What the fuck did you do to me?”  
“I’ll be the one asking the questions here, Dumbledore.”  
But Theseus didn’t ask anything – not yet. People found silence unnerving, he found. If Albus wanted an interrogation experience, he was going to get one.  
Well, sort of. 

Theseus had put on a fresh change of clothes while Albus was out. He removed his Auror’s robe, and vanished it. Then he slowly rolled up his sleeves.  
He walked over to Albus, and released the immobilization on one finger. Then another one. Then he stopped. Being given so little motion was often worse than having none at all.  
“I told you to surrender. But you thought you could escape if you just did enough damage. Your gamble didn’t pay off, and now you have lost any chance of receiving mercy.”

“Why should I be surprised? You have already demonstrated that you have no moral compass – drugging me!”  
“I am not going to apologize...” Theseus tore open Albus’ shirt.  
“... for putting a stop...” Theseus licked Albus’ chest, tasting his salty skin as he’d been longing to do ever since the first beads of sweat had begun to wet his shirt.  
“...to your destruction...” Theseus slapped Albus then. 

When they had been planning this, Albus had asked for some physical violence. Theseus had been reluctant, but now – he had not thought it was possible to get any more turned on than he already was, but the force of his hand striking Albus’ cheek – Jesus. Best not to examine that too closely, and instead just move on. 

“I don’t need to justify...” Theseus pulled Albus tightly against him, and ground against the bulge in his trousers.  
“...anything...” Theseus bit Albus’ neck.  
“...to you.” Theseus backed away and then turned his back on Albus, waving his wand behind him to remove Albus’ trousers.

He turned back around. Gods, Albus was hot. That duel had been...  
Wait. Who else had Albus been duelling with? He was stupidly muscular for a professor – he must be exercising regularly.  
“None of our sources indicated that you were such an athletic duellist. You must have been practicing.”  
Silence.  
“Tell us who you have been practicing with, and we’ll go easy on you.”  
“What do you mean? What are you talking about?”

Theseus came closer to Albus, and growled, “I mean that I want to know who else has seen you like this.”  
“Like – what?”  
“Since coming to Hogwarts, who else have you duelled like this – no holds barred?”  
Theseus took another step.  
“I do not want to share you with anyone, and I want to know...”  
Theseus put his hands on Albus’ chest, and pushed his floating body until it was pinned against a wall.  
“I want to know that I will be the only one who sees this intensity from you.”  
Albus smiled a calculating smile.  
“Jealous, are you, Auror Scamander?”

Theseus roared. He sent Albus flying towards the chair, releasing his paralysis in mid-air. The moment Albus landed in the chair, ropes wrapped around him, binding him in place.  
He transfigured the chair so that its legs lost several inches of height.  
He unbuckled his belt and unzipped his trousers.  
“Now, Dumbledore, you are going to suck my cock.”  
“You are insane.”  
“Am I? Or am I giving you exactly what you want, provoking me like that? You will suck my cock, and you will take my cum, and if I decide to leave you alone in this room afterwards, still tied to this chair, then I will. No one knows where you are but me.”  
“But – you brought me in –“  
“I most certainly did not. A criminal of your intelligence? Attacking a broom warehouse? It was beneath you. You _wanted_ to be brought in. I wasn’t going to let you see the inside of the DMLE. No. No one but me knows about this facility – when I say that you are completely at my mercy, that is literally true. There is no one to intervene. Now. Suck. My. Cock.”  
And Albus most certainly did. With enthusiasm. 

It was a new experience, having Albus go down on him without his hands being involved in any way. Given how talented Albus was with those hands, Theseus might not have expected much, if it had occurred to him at all. But what he could accomplish with just him mouth was extraordinary. Periodically, Albus would pull his mouth off of Theseus’ cock and begin lazily licking him, anywhere he could reach, until Theseus would growl, “Don’t you fucking tease me, you criminal,” and Albus would return to steadily sucking on Theseus.  
While Auror Scamander was commanding Dumbledore to stay focused on his cock, Theseus was being driven out of his mind by Albus edging him this way.

Theseus finally came with a shout, his hands on the back of Albus’ head. His knees were so weak he was swaying a bit. He looked down at Albus, still tied to the chair, and he felt... conflicted. That had been so hot, but – what did it mean about him that he had enjoyed it so much? 

He was just managing to hold back his tears as he released Albus, pulled him up, and held him, kissing him all over his face.  
He whispered frantically, “I’m sorry, Albus. Fuck. I’m so so sorry. I didn’t mean to go that far.”  
“Shhh… it’s ok. If I had felt uncomfortable, I would’ve put a stop to it. We had a safe word and everything, remember? You would have stopped if I had used it, and I didn’t. That was – look, Theseus. Look down.”  
There was cum all over Theseus’ lower legs. “I didn’t know that I could come so hard without you even touching me. I can’t wait to see what you do next time.”

“Next time?”  
“If you – you had a good time, right?”  
“Gods, Albus. That was so intense that I’m still twitching. So – you don’t think – you don’t think I’m a monster? For enjoying hitting you and tying you up and making demands?”  
“You would absolutely be a monster if you did any of that without my consent. But I asked for this. I want you, like this. It was rather exciting seeing you get all Auror-y on me.  
“But next time – listen, Love, I only want to do this again if you are not going to feel ashamed of yourself afterwards. I hope that you will feel up to trying interrogating me again – you were amazing. But if not – if this makes you too uncomfortable... Theseus, anytime we have sex, it is insanely good, whether we do this or not. I don’t need to play games. But gods, I want to, if you do.”  
“I can – yes, we can try again. Soon. But –“

Theseus pulled in Albus tighter - both for the comfort, and so that he could take a break from looking him in the eyes. “Right now, can we – just lay in bed and kiss each other? I need to kiss you, and then I think I need you in me. I need you to take your time with me, I – “  
Albus laughed. “You know, typically it is the sub who needs the aftercare.”  
Theseus didn’t reply.  
“Hey. Look at me, Theseus. I lo –“ Albus faltered. “I would love to take care of you. And I would love to take you to bed, if you could just show me how to get out of here.”  
“Oh – right – Finite Incantum!”  
The walls disappeared, and they were back in the – now wrecked – classroom.  
“Shouldn’t we?”  
“No, Love. We can take care of all of this in the morning. Right now, I have something to do that takes priority.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is fucking hard to write a sexy duel. Just - you know - felt like complaining about it, LOL


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11  
Wednesday 

“Are there any other questions? Yes – Miss Parkinson?”  
“Have you ever had to kill anyone?”  
Theseus thought about this for a moment. The young witch probably meant to ask if he ever _had_ killed anyone. But had he ever _had to_ kill anyone? Was there ever a time when there was no choice?  
Albus intervened. “I’m sure that Auror Scamander –“  
Theseus looked at Albus.  
“It’s fine, Albus – it’s relevant.”

Then he turned back to the class.  
“Defence against the Dark Arts is a required class at Hogwarts because the Wizarding world is a dangerous place – every single one of us is carrying a deadly weapon at all times. Some of us do not even need to use a wand in order to kill with our magic.  
“But do we ever _have to_? I don’t know. I have killed people as part of my work – both as a soldier and as an Auror. But I don’t know if I had to kill any of them. At the time, it seemed like I did. In retrospect – I find myself rethinking old confrontations and imagining them going differently.  
“Going out into the field hoping that no innocent lives will be lost means ignoring that innocence is not absolute – it is a matter of degree, some would even say that it is a matter of interpretation. Hoping that no lives will be lost is a hope that is more measurable, and perhaps even more honest - but at the same time it is a hope that’s sure to be disappointed. You do your best, you make mistakes, and you try to live with them.”

“What about Professor Dumbledore?” Came a voice from the back.  
“Not that I know of. But this is not a Q&A about your professor –“  
“How about it, Professor Dumbledore? Have you ever killed anyone?”  
Theseus shot a quick look at Albus. He was smiling tightly – he was going to pop something occluding that hard. He made a small hand motion at Albus that he hoped conveyed, ‘I’m so sorry this is happening,’ and ‘Don’t you dare open your mouth,’ and ‘I’ve got you.’ But that was a lot to pile onto one tiny gesture, and he couldn’t be sure that Albus had read any of it correctly.

“Who can tell me why Mr. Watts should not have asked that question?”  
“Because –“  
“No – no more calling out – hands raised – Yes! Mr. Greengrass?”  
“Because it wasn’t relevant?”  
“That’s one reason. Who else? Yes – in the back?”  
“Collins, sir. Because Professor Dumbledore isn’t an Auror, sir.”  
“Good, and why is that important – Miss Collins?”  
“Well, if _you_ were to kill someone, Auror Scamander, when working, I mean – then you couldn’t be sent to Azkaban, if it could be justified in any way as being part of doing your job. But Professor Dumbledore doesn’t have any legal reason to be killing anyone, so far as any of us know, anyway.”  
Theseus nodded sternly, but inside his mind he was smiling at the qualification 'so far as any of us know.' He had heard students speculating in the halls about whether or not Dumbledore was a ‘Secret Agent.’ 

“Anyone else? Yes – “  
“Flint, sir. There’s only one answer, isn’t there? To the question? He can only say no. He wouldn’t say ‘yes,’ or ‘I don’t know’ – so no matter what the answer really is, asking doesn’t tell us anything.”  
“This is an excellent point. As an interrogator, however, I am going to push back on this a little. A suspect may only say no in this context, but he will likely give a great deal away in the way that he says it. Defence Against the Dark Arts does not only involve knowing about dark spells and dark creatures, nor only knowing shield charms and other combat spells. Your defence rests in understanding your opponent – in paying attention to them, taking every opportunity to increase your knowledge of the way they think and the way they behave.”

“But!” Miss Collins quickly realized she had spoken out of turn and clamped one hand over her mouth while raising the other. Theseus smiled, and gestured for her to continue.  
“But – Professor Dumbledore isn’t an opponent or a suspect, is he?”  
“Excellent. And that is ultimately why asking him whether he had killed someone was an inappropriate question. To ask him such a question in a public forum is to treat him as an adversary –“ Theseus smiled gently at the miserable-looking boy who had originally asked the question, “Even if that was never your intent.  
“Curiosity is natural - admirable, even! And yet we are all likely, one time or another, to hurt someone when we allow our curiosity to get away from us. Therefore, it is important to learn the correct contexts in which to ask our questions. There are some questions we have that can be answered almost anywhere, in front of almost any audience. There are other questions that are better asked in private than in public. And finally, there are times when we decide that some other consideration takes precedence over our curiosity: those are the times when we choose not to ask certain questions because we would do better not to know the answers."  
Theseus hoped that that was enough to reassure Mr. Watts, as well as to keep his fellow students from bullying him over the incident, without excusing the behaviour.

“For homework tonight, I want you to select a public figure, or an older family member, and tell me one question that you might ask them in public, one question you might ask them in private but not in public, and one question you would never ask them, and why. Consider the legal, the social, and the personal implications of what it would mean for that person to answer such questions. No more than 20 inches. If you can get it done in less, that will be fine – as long as you fulfill the requirements of the assignment.”

//////////////

As soon as the children had left and Albus had shut and warded the classroom door, he burst out laughing.  
“You gave them homework! You didn’t even ask me –“  
Theseus was appalled. He hadn’t even noticed he was overstepping his role. It just – happened somehow.  
“I’m so sorry, Albus.”  
“Don’t be sorry! It was wonderful – you see how it happens, don’t you? You want to absolutely destroy the blighters, but you are limited to assigning them an essay.”  
Theseus let out a deep sigh. “They were a handful – it wasn’t easy to redirect them once they began pursuing you so single-mindedly.”  
“You did well. Though I’m sure your protectiveness raised a few eyebrows –“  
“I would have done the same for anyone!”  
“Hmmm. Probably so. But I doubt some of the more romantic young ladies will see it that way.”  
“Well, let them guess, then. I wasn’t about to let you answer that question.”

Albus looked surprised, “You didn't honestly think that I would have?”  
Theseus didn’t have to think about it. “No. But your simple refusal would not have been enough to put off the students, so it took a third party intervening to satisfy them. No. Deep down, I knew you knew better than to answer, but I needed them to leave you alone. The question itself hurt you, Love. I saw it in your eyes, and your jaw, and your neck… Was it about your sister? Or was there someone else?”  
“You want to know the answer?”  
“I want you to know that your answer can’t change how I feel about you. And I don’t know if you’ll trust the truth of that without me knowing the answer, so – yes.”

“I – couldn’t fire spells at Gellert – the pact, of course – but I could fire spells at Aberforth, and I was so angry at him for, it seemed to me, trying to drive Gellert away. All three of us were fighting – we don’t know what killed Ariana or who.”  
“I’ll accept that that is a true history, but I can tell that that isn’t what you were thinking of when young Mr. Watts asked the question.”  
Albus sighed. “Any time Gel – Grindelwald kills anyone, I feel as if I am partially responsible. If I didn’t have this blood pact with him, I would have been able to stop him before it came to this…”

“Could you have, really, Albus? Even without the pact? Could you have taken him down?”  
“I could –“  
“I’m not asking if you could today – if you could in the past two or three years, even. I’m asking – did you have it in you to bring him down 25, 20, even 10 years ago? Or were you still too afraid that being near him would draw you back in? Would not end him but give him a powerful ally? Would strip you of the freedom from him that you had fought so hard for?”  
“It doesn’t matter, because I –“  
“Made a dumb decision when you were 18? Everyone’s an idiot when they’re 18.”  
“_You_ weren’t. You were the most level headed person I knew, even then.”

“I don’t know about that. I tried to kiss my Defence teacher.”  
Albus leaned in closer and kissed Theseus softly.  
“I believe the 24 year old was the idiot in that instance.”  
Theseus smiled, “Maybe not entirely. The 24 year old wasn’t ready. I think I prefer 47 year old Albus – the Albus who will allow himself to be with an ex-student who wants him. The Albus who can accept, once he’s thought about it, that he is not to blame for Grindelwald’s bad choices. That he is not a passive participant in each of Grindelwald’s murders.”  
“I’d like to meet this Albus.”  
“Oh, he’s around here somewhere. I’m sure of it.”

Theseus pulled Albus in closer, and began kissing him. Albus whined, and – there was the sound of something popping?  
Theseus spun around with his wand outstretched towards – his brother.  
“Oh good,” said Newt. “I had never seen two creatures with such a long courtship ritual. It was becoming ridiculous.”

//////////////

“Newt! What are you doing here?” Theseus asked, at the same time as Albus asked, “How did you get in here? There is no apparating at Hogwarts.”  
Newt turned to Albus first, “Troilus,” then Theseus, “Checking up on you. Not that I needed to, but – I was curious. Troilus made it sound like you had been imprisoned and ensorcelled. But it looks to me like nothing has happened that you don’t want, so I will try to calm down our indignant friend.” 

Newt looked over his left shoulder, “And don’t think I don’t know that you are still there! I know right where you are. I hope that you are giving Theseus and Albus their privacy. If you are not busy enough, I have plenty for you to do.”  
Troilus popped into view. “Master Newt should not be talking to that bad man. Bad Dumbledore will be sending you to prison! Happy at home drinking tea with Master Theseus when Master Newt is being in danger all the time!”

Newt smiled beneficently, and squatted down, until he was on eye level with Troilus.  
“Mr. Dumbledore has no intention of asking me to go anywhere right now," then he looked over his shoulder, "Do you Dumbledore?”  
“No. No, I am fresh out of trouble. I’m afraid I don’t have any to get you into at the moment.”  
Newt huffed a laugh and turned back to the sceptical elf. “There. You see, Troilus? Now, I need for you to restock the groceries in my flat for me, please. There are so many more people there than usual. Perhaps have Nagini accompany you? She likes you, and I think that she needs to get out. And by now, I mean right now. Thank you!”  
Troilus frowned, but he disappeared as ordered.

Albus transfigured his desk into a sofa, and a book into a comfortable chair.  
Theseus sat down heavily on the sofa, while Albus and Newt remained standing.  
“I’m sorry, Newt.”  
“Well, yes, I would rather not to have learned about it from Troilus, but to be fair, it is nothing I hadn’t intended by arranging for you to stay here. And we have both been busy.”  
Newt didn’t understand. Theseus needed him to understand.  
“No, I mean, I’m sorry about Leta…”  
“Let’s not talk about Leta right now,” Newt interrupted.

“It’s just – I haven’t waited, and I didn’t want you to think –“  
“I mean it, Thee. Drop it, please.” Newt’s voice sounded hard, even implacable.  
Theseus had hurt Newt somehow – again – and he didn’t know how, exactly. Of course, he knew what the issue was in broad strokes, but it did seem that the more he tried to untangle the particulars of the problem, the worse the knot became – so he would do as Newt asked and drop it – for now.

Newt turned to Albus, “And you!”  
Albus looked amused to have Newt take such a tone with him. His voice was as quiet as ever, but he sounded stern, and very much in charge.  
“Yes?”  
“Sit,” Newt said, pointing to the sofa.  
Albus quirked an eyebrow at Newt, but he went to the sofa, sat next to Theseus, and threw an arm over his shoulders.  
Newt began pacing, and talking very quickly, seemingly to the floor.  
“I like you Dumbledore –“  
“If you like me, you should call me Albus. Especially now that I am dating your brother.”  
“Fine, _Albus_. As I was saying, I like you, but I do not like the way you treat people.”  
“No?”  
“No. When you sent me to America without telling me you were sending me to America – you didn’t do that because you don’t trust me.”  
“No, I do trust you Newt.”  
“As much as you trust anybody,” Newt muttered. “And you didn’t do it for plausible deniability.”  
Theseus looked at Newt warily. He sounded like an Auror – he sounded like Theseus. Not that there was much of a difference between a detective and a researcher, now that Theseus thought of it.  
“And you didn’t do it because I would somehow make a mess of things if I knew what my role was. And that leaves just one thing –“

“Boredom,” said Theseus.  
Albus and Newt both looked at him – Albus in mild indignation, and Newt in something almost like – pride? Relief? Interest? Admiration? It wasn’t quite any of those things. He’d been observing Newt since he was a infant, and he still couldn’t get a read on him half the time. 

“That’s what you were going to say, wasn’t it, Newt? Boredom?”  
“Boredom - yes. Albus has been playing a game, entertaining himself by writing little dramas and then seeing if he can make the characters speak the lines he wrote for them without telling them what they are.”  
“And now you are worrying about what role it is that he has written for me?”  
“No, Theseus. Instead, I think that you might be the only man who can save Britain from the boredom of Albus Dumbledore. Keep him on his toes, Thee.”

Newt started walking towards the classroom door. “I’ll let myself out, then.”  
Theseus kissed Albus quickly, then stood up and darted after his brother.  
“Newt! Wait!” He pulled Newt into a hug, and whispered in his ear, “Thank you.”  
As they pulled away from one another, Newt looked away for a moment, and then back at Theseus.  
“Yes, well. Just – keep an eye on him, will you? He seems to have forgotten how to interact with people properly.”  
It was surreal listening to Newt, of all people, scold someone for not knowing how to interact with other human beings. Not that he didn’t have a point. Albus’ ability to keep everyone at a distance was unparalleled in Theseus’ experience. That Albus had let him in was extraordinary.

“I’ll take care of him.”  
“And you, Thee. You need to take care of you.”  
“And me. But – how about you? Are you – is someone taking care of you?”  
“Don’t worry about me,” Newt said, and he turned and walked out the door, closing it behind him.  
Theseus shook his head. Did Newt not know that that was like asking the sun not to rise?

////////////

Once again, Albus and Theseus ended their day together in bed, lying on their sides and facing one another.  
“I am thinking that perhaps you should start with the Hogwarts elves.”  
Albus sighed. Theseus was fairly certain that this sigh meant, ‘once again this awful man has waited to talk about elves until I am trapped in bed with him.’

“You are not going to be deterred from talking about elves right now, are you?”  
“No. But it won’t take so long this time.”  
Albus sighed again, and removed his hand from where it had been laying on Theseus’ shoulder. Theseus took this as a sign to proceed. He propped himself up on one elbow.  
“Lecturing position, is it?”

Theseus laughed and dropped back down, then propped himself back up.  
“I am not sure what you were hoping to accomplish with that statement, which is making it hard for me to defy you.”  
Albus rolled his eyes and pushed Theseus’ raised shoulder, so that he fell on his back, and Albus snuggled in close and laid his head on Theseus’ chest.  
“Go on, let me have it.”

Theseus wrapped both arms around Albus.  
“Mipsy likes ribbons, Tipsy –“  
“There _is_ a Tipsy!” Albus interrupted, sounding almost triumphant.  
“Yes there is, and I believe that Mipsy believed that you were confusing her with Tipsy, and that that is what she took exception to – or at least it was one of the things. I don’t think that it occurred to her that you were simply mistaking her name because you yourself were, ostensibly, tipsy.”  
“Ostensibly?”  
“I don’t believe it for a minute, Albus. You had only had two tumblers full. That is not enough to go around making alcohol related word substitutions. You simply didn’t have enough respect for the elves to differentiate between them.”

Albus was silent for a moment.  
“I am going to have to learn about the differences between the different house elves, aren’t I?”  
“It is no different in principle than learning the differences between your students. Though perhaps a bit more difficult. But arguably even more rewarding. Most wizards don’t bother, so it will give you some distinction among the elves if you manage it.”  
“Alright. Mipsy likes ribbons, Tipsy likes - ?”  
“Children’s books.”  
“Books? Really?”  
“Yes – elves can read. They aren’t often given the opportunity, and many wizards frown upon it – but reading is common amongst the Hogwarts elves. They even have been known to put helpful books in the paths of their favourite students.”  
“Fascinating!”

“Right, so that’s Mipsy and Tipsy. Polly and Carlisle prefer flowers – white flowers for Polly, and thistles for Carlisle.”  
“Carlisle?”  
“I know. It’s an odd name for a house elf. But there it is.  
“When you give them their gifts, it is best to give them the gifts for their humans at the same time. Carlisle is partial to Minerva. Polly spends a great deal of time assisting Madame Gregoria in the Infirmary, Mipsy favours the Librarian, whose name I don't know...:"  
"Professor Midisnidget."  
"Midisnidget?"  
"I'm afraid so. Even worse than Dumbledore, isn't it?"  
"Nearly as bad as Scamander. Alright then... Where was I? Tipsy! Tipsy is besotted with the Headmaster’s young daughters.  
“They will not want to tell you what their humans like – part of the power of the apology is in you knowing for yourself what would be an appropriate gift. It should be something small – not too expensive. Like tea or biscuits or a small toy or a moderately difficult to obtain but inexpensive potion ingredient – that sort of thing.”  
“And how long do I have to accomplish this?”  
“Take as long as you want – they’ve been angry with you for ages. But I don’t think we ought to call on the elves for help in your quarters until you’ve completed these steps.”

“Is that it?”  
“Yes, I am all done talking to you about house elves. Maybe for days, even.”  
“Thank the stars.”  
Albus began pulling away from Theseus.  
“If it’s comfortable for you, you can keep lying there.”  
“Will you be able to sleep like that, though?”  
“I’m pretty sure. I like feeling your weight on me, anyway. I like knowing you’re there.”  
Albus adjusted his position a bit. And adjusted again. And again.  
“I don’t want you to feel obligated, if you can’t get comfortable.”  
Albus laughed. “I think I have it just perfect, now. Don’t worry – I promise not to presume obligatory snuggling.”  
Theseus laughed too. “See that you don’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting this a few hours earlier than usual because I was up anyway, somehow.  
So, to anyone in Europe - good morning!  
I'm going back to bed now, LOL


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally.

Chapter 12  
Saturday 

Theseus was so grateful for the weekend. Saturday meant not having to get out of bed right away. It meant being able to sleep as late as he wanted to, and waking up slowly to –  
Albus.  
Albus laying beside him, looking at him with – what appeared to be adoration.  
Gods. Had it only been a week?

Theseus cast a quick breath freshening charm, and stretched forward to catch Albus’ lips with his own.  
“Good morning, Love,” said Albus, and Theseus’ breath hitched.  
Good to know that age didn’t affect his ability to be blown away by his feelings for another wizard. But then, he had never stopped being blown away by this particular wizard. He hoped that the fascination continued to be as powerful when he was up close as it was when he was far away. He couldn’t imagine it ever going away – Theseus felt sure that he was never going to reach the end of Albus Dumbledore.

“I wish I could stay in bed with you all day.”  
Theseus yawned. “Me too.” Then it registered. “Wait – why can’t you?”  
“Hogwarts weekend. It’s my turn to go to the village with the students.”  
Theseus touched Albus’ face. He loved the feel of Albus’ beard under his fingers.  
“How much time do we have?”  
“Two hours.”  
“Mmm,” Theseus hummed happily. Two hours was more than he had hoped for. “I can do plenty with two hours.”

Albus pulled Theseus on top of him and began kissing him slowly, kneading Theseus’ back, rocking his hips.  
He broke away. “That’s true – I would go slow with you this morning – I haven’t had the time to worship you in days.”  
Not that they hadn’t found several opportunities to enjoy one another’s bodies over the past several days, but Theseus understood what Albus meant. Last weekend had been singular – with no interruptions, they had been able to take their time getting to know each other – what made their lover scream or squirm or moan or shiver. During the school week, neither had had the energy or the time to explore one another so thoroughly – so attentively. Well, Tuesday night had been rather – intense. But it was not the same thing.

“Mmm. Worshipping me? I like the sound of that. What would you like to do to me?”  
Albus flipped them, and looked at Theseus hungrily.  
“First, I am going to drink you dry. And when you think that you can come no more, I am going to enter you with my tongue, and my fingers, and my cock. I am going to fuck you slowly, and your cock is going to ache with the need to come one more time, and then I’m going to take you so hard that you think that you are going to break, and when you do, I’m going to feel your orgasm take hold of my cock and wring my release out of me.”  
Theseus was stunned. He had never come from someone just talking to him before, but it had been a near thing just now.  
“That is – quite a plan,” he gasped. “You might need to give me a moment, or part one won’t last very long.”  
“Oh – I was intending to make you come with my mouth at least twice,” Albus said with a smile that was _almost_ his ‘affably arrogant’ smile, but not quite – there was something else there… was that – insecurity? Oh fuck. He was masking.

Theseus briefly considered just letting Albus go ahead with his insanely appealing plan, but if they were going to continue having sex that was more than sex, then he needed to pay attention to more than what Albus was doing with his mouth – he needed to know what Albus was doing with his brain.  
So, kicking himself for possibly doing himself out of a guaranteed to be outstanding blowjob, he stopped Albus – not easily done, as he was sucking on Theseus’ neck by now, which had just about turned off all of his higher brain functioning.  
“Albus, stop. Stop – what’s the matter?”

Albus stopped, but not before licking a stripe up Theseus’ neck, from his shoulder all the way up to just behind his ear.  
“Nothing’s the matter.”  
“Maybe not, but there’s something more in your head than making me come – something in fact that is making you feel – bad about yourself, somehow? And I need for you to only do this with me if you are sure – if you are feeling sure of me, and sure of yourself, and sure of your desire –“  
Albus dropped his face onto Theseus’ shoulder.  
“Merlin! I hate that you are so fucking smart!”  
Jackpot. Dammit. Theseus had wanted to be wrong, but he had known he was right.

“Come on, Albus – talk to me.”  
“You are so good at sucking my cock.”  
Theseus’ heart sank. He had an idea of where this was going. But he was going to need to make Albus work for it – he didn’t want to put any words in his mouth or ideas in his head.  
“Thank you.”  
Albus sighed in frustration.  
“And I – I can’t – the way you take me all the way into your mouth and back into your throat – I can’t – I doubt seriously I am ever going to be able to take all of you the way you do for me.”  
“Ok.”  
“Ok?!”

“What are you asking, Albus?”  
“I don’t want to – be a disappointment.”  
There it was. Theseus knew that feeling all too well. It was only thanks to a boyfriend who had indeed voiced something very like disappointment that Theseus had learned the throat relaxing spell that had been necessary for him to pick up the skill that Albus was now embarrassed not to have himself. Theseus had never been able to train his gag reflex away in the conventional way.

“Have you ever failed to make me come?”  
“…no?”  
“No. If anything, I have, on at least two occasions, come embarrassingly quickly, as if I had never had a blow job before. And you are so good at it that it is arguable that, before you, I hadn’t.”  
Albus did not seem to be getting it. But this was a man who had pined after one wizard for nearly 30 years, so it had already been proven that, given the opportunity, Albus could beat himself up endlessly.

“Come up here – I need to see your face when I tell you this.”  
Albus didn’t move, but Theseus could wait. Albus hadn’t been sorted into Gryffindor for nothing. He would make himself face Theseus, any minute now. Any – minute –  
Albus lifted his head and sat back a little bit so that he and Theseus could look at one another properly.  
“Albus. Love. I have _never_ had a blow job anywhere near as good as _any_ of the blow jobs you have given me this week. Never. That first night, you learned more about my body than I knew myself. No one has ever made me feel the way you do, and I’m convinced that no one but you ever could. I will be terrifically disappointed if you lose confidence in your ability to drive me insane with your mouth.”

“I’m not as good at it as you are.”  
“How could you even begin to know that? Given yourself a blowjob before, have you?”  
“No, but –“  
It was official – Albus was a wreck – that would have made him laugh at any other time.  
“Me neither. All I need to know is that you make me lose my ability to speak when you have your mouth and your hands on me. You make me come so hard, and before I come – your tongue and your fingers are like lightning on my skin.”  
“Theseus.”

“Do not make me keep complimenting you. Once this all sinks in you are going to be unbearable.”  
That broke the tension a bit. Albus laughed at last. He still sounded a bit fragile, but he looked like he was starting to pull himself back together. 

Theseus vanished Albus’ pyjamas.  
“Fuck your plan. It was a gorgeous plan, but I have a new one. I want you to fuck me. If you want to put your mouth on me afterwards, or later today, that would be amazing. But right now, I want you in me.”  
He rolled them over. “I’m going to ride you, and I want you to look at me – I want you to see how you make me feel.”

Now it was Albus’ turn to stop Theseus. “Wait – don’t we need to get you ready?”  
“Usually, yes. I mean, always yes – but I’m feeling a bit impatient about it. Usually I prefer for you to do it yourself, slowly, with your tongue and your fingers, but –“ Theseus broke off and whispered a few words under his breath.  
“But there _are_ spells that can do the same job. Not nearly as pleasurably as having you do it, but I am rather feeling like taking care of you at the moment, and letting you take care of me later. And I need your cock in me this instant. Ok?”  
Albus nodded, and Theseus took Albus’ cock in his hands, and held it in position as he slowly lowered himself. 

And then, when he had almost bottomed out, he accidentally breathed out, “I love you.”  
Fuck.  
It was true. But it was too early, he knew it was.  
Albus groaned, “Theseus –“  
He looked – radiant. Oh! That’s what that smile had been, that new unnameable smile. It had been – it had been his ‘I love you’ smile. They were so fucked.

“I know I said it was too early to know, Albus, but... I know how I feel about you, and it _must_ be possible to feel this way this early, because I do, and I was – I was unfair to you earlier this week.”  
“No you weren’t. You were right. But – fuck, I hope you are right now, too. Because I think I love you, too.  
“I know you said you wanted to ride me, take care of me but – I need to be on top – ok?”  
Theseus nodded, and Albus rolled them over.  
Theseus felt – a little scared by his spontaneous confession, but mostly elated. 

Albus began moving in him, and he bent down to kiss him.  
“I love you,” Albus said when he removed his lips from Theseus' lips, and Theseus felt his chest constrict, while the rest of him felt lighter. He was having such a physical reaction to Albus’ words. Had he ever had such a physical reaction to anyone else’s words? To anyone else’s ‘I love you?’  
Albus buried his face in Theseus’ shoulder, and licked and sucked on him there, and he said the words again: “I love you.”

Albus pushed himself up just a bit, and ran his eyes over Theseus’ face, as if making a study of it.  
“I love you,” they both said at the same time, and Theseus started laughing.  
This was arguably the best morning of his entire life.

“Speed up, Albus.”  
“No. I want this to take all morning long.”  
“Please? If not faster, then harder at least? We can always – Jesus fucking Christ, Albus! – We can go again later.”  
Albus smiled – the smile that Theseus now knew was his ‘I love you’ smile.  
“My –“ slam “Pleasure –“ slam “Love.” 

Theseus felt like he was going insane. Albus had never fucked him this hard before, and it was everything Theseus wanted. With each thrust, it was like his balls were being spanked as Albus’ body slammed against his own. The rhythm was fast and steady – he didn’t have time to recover from one jolt against his prostate before that spot was being hit again, and again. He wasn’t even going to need Albus to touch his cock in order for him to –  
“Gods – Albus – Fuck fuck fuck fuck – YESSSSSSSS!”  
Albus wasn’t far behind him. After he had come, Albus bent down, kissed Theseus’ neck, and then whispered in his ear, “I love you.”  
Then he pulled out, and the two of them lay on their sides, facing one another.  
“Albus – I love you. Gods, I love you so much. How is it possible for me to love you so much?”  
Albus laughed. “I know I’m the last person you’d expect to say so, but – don’t overthink it, Love.”  
That made Theseus laugh, too.  
“Yes,” he gently mocked Albus, “I will be sure to learn from your good example.”

//////////////////////

It took them forever to get ready for the day. They kept touching one another and kissing one another. They couldn’t exhale without saying, ‘I love you.’ And Albus had regained his confidence enough to go down on Theseus – and this time, when all of his brain was consumed with Albus’ mouth on his cock, and Albus’ hands on his – everywhere – this time he wasn’t frightened of what Albus made him feel.  
The moment Albus had finished swallowing his cum, Theseus brought him up and kissed him.  
“I love you,” he said. And though part of him thought that he should feel afraid, he couldn’t seem to manage it.

Mipsy brought them breakfast. Theseus was so glad that Albus had made peace with the Hogwarts elves, not least because he was too distracted to cook. He was too distracted to eat, really, but Albus fussed over him, so he took a few bites. 

Albus spoke. “You said it again earlier – that it was too early to know how we feel? You’re wrong, you know, about how much time we’ve spent together. I don’t think that you are counting any of the times that we have been together but not alone. A week ago Tuesday, for instance.”  
“We didn’t speak to one another at all that day – I mean, I didn’t speak to you, anyway.”  
“No, but that didn’t keep me from being aware of you the entire time.”

It was true that Theseus hadn’t spoken much to Albus over the past several years, but it was also true that they had been in the same room plenty of times, and Theseus’ attention had been drawn to Albus every time he saw him. He did know Albus.  
For all of his distrust of words, how had it not occurred to Theseus that watching Albus over the years gave him the kind of knowledge he trusted the most? Before he’d arrived at Hogwarts a week ago, Theseus had _already_ named Albus’ facial expressions, _already_ noticed each of his fidgets and their meanings... Since returning from the War, it was possible that he had never gone more than three months without seeing Albus long enough to study his behaviour. Sweet Merlin! He had known Albus all along!

He got up from his seat and straddled Albus in his chair. He took the tea cup out of Albus’ hand and placed it on the table, then kissed Albus deeply. He pulled back and looked Albus in the eyes.  
“Thank you.”  
Albus tipped his head slightly. “Not that I don’t appreciate your gratitude, but what am I being thanked for, exactly?”  
“You are right. I’ve known you all along. I’ve loved you all along – I never stopped. It was just – too painful to admit it.”

“I’m so sorry, Theseus. I’m sorry I was so scared that I let you go on thinking that I didn’t want you.”  
Theseus pressed a hand against Albus’ chest.  
“No, you don’t need to apologize for that anymore. It’s done. We have each other now, right?”  
Albus kissed Theseus, and began unbuttoning his shirt.  
“Yes, I’m yours – all yours now. I love you.”  
Then he began kissing Theseus again. He reached down and unbuttoned Theseus’ trousers.  
Theseus started laughing, even with Albus’ tongue in his mouth. He pushed himself away a short distance and waved his wand, casting a Tempus.  
“Only 10 minutes until time to leave for Hogsmeade. I don’t think that’s quite enough time to do whatever you are intending to do once you have undressed me.”

Nevertheless, when the dishes were banished to the sink, Theseus allowed Albus to back him against the wall. He put both of his hands on Albus’ arse and pulled him close.  
“I love you,” Theseus said.  
“I love you too,” said Albus, and kissed Theseus deeply.  
Then Albus pulled away and groaned.  
“I have to leave for Hogsmeade. Come with me?”  
“I meant to, but – it’s better if I don’t – you know it is. We can’t go there like this, unable to keep our hands off of one another.”

Albus took a step back, looked down, ran his hand through his hair.  
“I don’t like that you are right, but you’re right. You’ll be here when I get back?”  
“Depends on when you get back.”  
“Should be sometime between 3 and 5pm”  
“Send me a Patronus when you are on your way back? I’m going to pop out for a few hours. I would miss you too much if I’m just sitting around your rooms without you.”

Albus gave Theseus another kiss.  
“Be safe,” Albus said.  
“Always,” said Theseus, and Albus looked at him sceptically.  
“Always from now on,” Theseus corrected.  
Albus’ lip quirked, and he nodded. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it, and walked out the door. Before he closed it, he turned and looked over his shoulder – “I love you.” And he was gone.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For someone so smart, Theseus sure can be a moron.  
Things are going well – which must mean that it is time for Theseus to fuck up everything.

Chapter 13  
Sunday 

After breakfast, they were sitting on the sofa together – Theseus sitting up, looking over the first year Defence book, Albus stretched out with his feet in Theseus’ lap, grading papers.

Theseus looked over at Albus. The way he ground his teeth, it was a wonder he still had molars. What could a student have possibly written that made him so angry? Actually, he could think of any number of things.  
No need to push it. He didn’t want Albus to spend all of his emotional energy before getting to the topics that Theseus needed to bring up this morning.  
He waited until Albus finished with an essay that seemed less taxing to grade.

“So – I went to London to look at town houses yesterday, when you were in Hogsmeade.”  
Albus looked up and took off his reading glasses. “Oh?”  
“Yes, I’ve decided that I’m getting rid of the flat. I never liked it, but – it was the location of a future life that I never wanted, and I don’t need a daily reminder of it.”  
“Daily…” murmured Albus.  
“But then I decided not to buy one.”  
Albus perked up a bit. “No?”

“No – there’s no need to live in London if I’m not returning to the Ministry.”  
“You – aren’t returning to the Ministry.”  
“You were right – not everyone who is fighting Grindelwald is aligned with the DMLE. And with Travers’ blunders resulting in the slaughter of half the French Auror corps, and a good number of British Aurors, he might be, however unwillingly, Grindelwald’s truest ally. I can’t believe I didn’t see it sooner. Newt’s been trying to tell me all along – “

“Theseus, stop. Newt had the advantage of starting off hating bureaucracy, hating order, hating paperwork… He’s a bit of an anarchist, really. You saw the potential for good in having a system. You wanted so badly for it to work that it made it hard to see when it wasn’t working. That’s not a fault. Or, at least, it is not a fault when you retain the capacity to change your mind in the face of overwhelming evidence, and you do. I knew you did, or I wouldn’t have tried to keep you out of it when you were here last time.”

Theseus thought he had taken rather longer than he ought to have – and he knew that, if he had realized earlier that the DMLE was rotting from the inside, Leta would still be alive. But he appreciated Albus’ support.

Nevertheless, the time had come to throw the grenade.  
“Travers is so paranoid – I wonder if we shouldn’t leave the country.”  
“What?”  
Albus looked startled. That was – good, right?  
“I’m sure that he’ll blame you for what he will see as my defection. And he will be suspicious of me as well. There’s really no telling what he’ll do to us.“  
“He can’t touch me at Hogwarts, Theseus.”  
“He most certainly can. In any case. We both have money, and we can make money writing. Writing can be done anywhere. Come on, Albus. Leave the country with me. I mean, obviously finish out the school year, but then let’s go.”

Albus was silent for a moment.  
“Gellert asked me to leave the country with him, too.”  
“Yeah. Yeah, I know.”  
“Gellert said he loved me, too.”  
This was not at all the way things were supposed to go. Why were they talking about Grindelwald? And why was Albus back to calling him Gellert?  
“I’m not Gellert, Albus. I don’t have an agenda for you, besides wanting for you to be happy. Well, and wanting to have you with me, but if that stops making you happy, I’ll make myself let you go. And I don’t have a plan for the world, really, besides stopping Grindelwald, which you seem to want too – which you already wanted before this week.”

“Once he knows that you are with me, he’ll kill you.”  
“Grindelwald wants to kill me already. He almost did. In any case, he wants to kill you, too, so.”  
“He _can't_ kill me, though.”  
“Not until you break that blood pact, which I know you’re working on. Once that is done, you are just as vulnerable as I am.”

“You can’t leave Britain – what about Newt?”  
Honestly. Now he was just grasping at straws.  
“Newt’s travel ban was lifted, as a reward for what he accomplished in Paris. As soon as he has figured out what to do with Jacob and Tina and Nagini, he will be grabbing the first international portkey he sees.  
“I think that it will be both safer and more interesting for you if you leave with me. But I don’t need your answer today. And I promise that, no matter what, I am still yours. No matter where I go, I will always come back to you. I love you. Your decision won’t change that.”

Albus was silent. He nodded, and went back to grading papers.  
Theseus’ heart ached. It had been a gamble. There was still time for it to pay off, but right now, it was not looking good. 

///////////////

Albus had quietly graded papers until lunchtime. He had not gotten up when Theseus called him to lunch. He had not looked up when Theseus brought him soup and toast so that he could eat in the sitting room.  
Twenty minutes later, Theseus came to collect Albus’ dishes. He had finished grading his papers, and was now more than halfway through the stack, rereading them.  
Theseus had had enough. He grabbed Albus’ ankles, lifted his legs, and turned him so that he was sitting properly on the sofa – then he dropped his feet. Albus scowled at him.

“It is fine if you need time to think, Albus. But this –“ he gestured at the papers, many of which now lay scattered on the floor, “This is the opposite of thinking. You are avoiding thinking, and you are avoiding me.”  
“I was working!”  
“Yes. You _were_ working. Up until a half an hour ago or more, when you moved from working to pretending to work.”  
“I was –“  
“You never reread the papers, Albus. Do not lie to me. That I will not tolerate.”

“What do you want from me?”  
“I want you to take a walk with me. We don’t have to talk if you don’t want to – I’ll let you be the one to initiate any talking. But I don’t want you to ignore me – please? I’m still here with you for the next two weeks. I love you.”  
“You do not!”  
Oh. 

“Albus –“  
“How can you ask me to change who I am –“  
“I want you to change _where you are_ – that’s totally different.”  
“You’re – you’re being selfish –“  
Selfish? He was getting ready to completely explode his carefully planned future for Albus.  
“That’s one way to look at it. I selfishly don’t want to work for a moron, I selfishly don’t want to go to Azkaban on trumped up charges, I selfishly don’t want you to go to Azkaban on trumped up charges, I selfishly don’t want to be separated from you.”  
“You make me think that you care about me, and then you tear apart my life –“

This made sense now. But as much as Albus needed closure with Grindelwald, Theseus was not going to let Albus treat him as a proxy – he was not going to let Albus break up with him only because he never got to break up with Grindlewald.

“If you need to end it with Grindelwald, Albus, then end it with Grindelwald. But don’t mistake me for him. I want you – all of you – who you really are. And if who you really are is someone who needs to push away the man who loves you because Gellert Grindelwald is still the only person of any consequence in your life, then so be it. It is up to you to decide if that is who you really are. I hope it isn’t, but only you can answer that question.  
“Now. I am going to go on a walk. I need the air on my face and the ground under my feet. Would you like to come with me?”  
“No.”  
“No. Ok.” Theseus turned to the door.

“Wait! Yes.”  
“Which is it, Albus? No or yes?”  
Albus growled in frustration. “I don’t know.”

Theseus sighed and turned back to look at Albus. He had uncovered more hurt than he had meant to. “This isn’t a critical decision, Love. I will be back in two hours or less.”  
“I am trying to decide if I will be able to think more clearly if I am with you or if I am alone. Or if I want to think about this right now at all.”  
“Ok.”  
“Ok?”  
“I don’t know the answer to those questions either, Albus. And I’m something of a biased judge, in any case. It’s ok that you don’t know. But sometimes, you have to make a decision without knowing, and this is one of those times, because I’m itching to get underway before it becomes too late in the day, so I’m not going to wait for longer than five minutes or so.”

Albus stood, walked over to the door, and took Theseus’ hand. “Yes.”  
Theseus pulled him in and hugged him. He hadn’t allowed himself to feel scared until just now. They had only really been together a week, but it had been building for years, and it would be excruciating to lose Albus when he only now had him.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To all the dear people of the TheseusxAlbus Discord server, to whom I promised daily updates,  
And to anyone else who has gotten used to these super frequent updates:  
After this chapter, I may not get a chance to update NTL until the weekend.
> 
> I was due to update The Greater Good today, and couldn't - because I am needed to do a COMPLETE rewrite of the chapter that was going to go up today. So all my fanfic energy will be going there for the time being.
> 
> But - at least I'm leaving Albus and Theseus at a better place than they were last chapter - didn't want to leave y'all hanging there.

Chapter 14  
Wednesday

Whether or not Albus would be leaving with Theseus still had not been established – but they had continued to teach together and sleep together and eat together. They had sex together, but only once, and there had been an uneasiness to it. They were cautious, tentative with the words, ‘I love you.’ They were weirdly polite with one another. Without talking about it, they had stopped duelling after practicing Sunday night: Albus had sent an unusually strong Incendio that consumed Theseus’ robes in flames, and then he left the room without helping Theseus or even apologizing. 

In addition to these tensions, Theseus felt as if they were pretending that Theseus would still be here when the three weeks (now one and a half weeks) were ended.  
When he brought it up at breakfast, Albus replied, “I don’t see why you can’t. There was never any question that I would be staying until the end of the year. And you’ve been doing a brilliant job – the students all love you. The other professors are pleased, too, that you are tying all of the classes together in a practical way.”

“We have only just started the school year!”  
“Yes? And?”  
“And the plan was –“  
“For you to go back to the DMLE after 3 weeks. I know. But you are not going back to the DMLE now – or are you?”  
“No, that hasn’t changed.”

“Theseus. I can’t believe I am saying this, but – maybe you _should_ go back – at least for a couple of weeks – tie up loose ends, destroy records, that sort of thing.”  
“I’m not supposed to destroy records!”  
“No, I imagine you’re not.”  
Albus was not much of one for following rules, Theseus knew – but he looked like he thought it was particularly foolish that Theseus seemed not to be considering breaking this one.  
“Albus. I’m not going back. At all. Not even to - 'tie up loose ends.'”  
“So there’s nothing to stop you staying here at least until the end of the Fall Term. And then – and then whatever. We’ll know by then if it really is dangerous for you to stay in Britain.”

“And if not, then you would stay at Hogwarts?”  
Albus glared at him.  
“And there it is. Theseus. All of this tension the past few days? It has been completely unnecessary. You don’t need to leave the country, and neither do I. I would say that I do not know why you exaggerated the threat of Travers, but your – maneuvouers, if they deserve to be called that, were uncharacteristically transparent. Usually even when you are feeling desperate you are not this sloppy. Yes, I would stay at Hogwarts. I have no desire to leave Hogwarts.”

Theseus’ plan was exposed and unravelling. “But can you really be happy here?”  
“For fuck’s sake. Were you even in the room Saturday? I’m happy here now, with you. When Newt said I was bored at Hogwarts, he was right – I was bored, past tense, _before_ you arrived. When he said that you were the person who would – what did he say – ‘Save all Britain from the boredom of Albus Dumbledore?’ I think he meant you – yourself. It is not your responsibility to do something with the specific intent of pushing me out of this location where I have been bored. All you have to do is be yourself, with me, _wherever_ we are.”__

_ __ _

“Be myself.”  
“Yes! Trick sixth year students into experimenting with polyjuice and the like. You didn’t do that to keep me entertained. You did it because it came naturally to you.  
“I love you so much, Theseus. But I can’t have you disrespecting me. You didn’t even ask me how I felt about staying at Hogwarts. As if you didn’t trust my answer.”  
Gods. He really had done that. Fuck, that was insulting. It edged right up against unforgivable. 

“It may not have occurred to you, but making plans for me and not telling me what they are, rather than letting me in on what you _really_ intend – what your _real_ motivations are... that’s disrespectful.”  
“Like you did to Newt?”  
Oh fuck. No. Stupid stupid stupid. He had missed his cue to apologize, and instead deflected his guilt onto Albus. Fuck. 

Albus sighed. “I’m willing to consider that that is what I did to Newt. But not right now. Right now we are talking about how you treated _me.”_  
Albus was – not shutting down? He was staying in the conversation, even after Theseus deflected? Did that mean – ?  
“You were dishonest with me in order to try to manipulate me into something because you thought you knew what I needed better than I do. _That_ is why I compared you to Gellert. That is the sort of thing he used to do. I’ll admit that I have had problems letting go of the past – but this time I was trying to tell you how unreasonable _you_ were being, using the only analogy I have. But instead of hearing that, you decided that I was exhibiting yet one more problem that you need to fix. I need you to do better than that, and I know you can.” 

“Oh, Albus. I’m –“  
“Sorry? I imagine you are. But I’m not. Or at least, not entirely. If we are going to make this work, then I think that it is good for both of us to know exactly what you are capable of – both in terms of manipulation and of denial. And who knows – maybe next time it will be my turn to screw up.” Albus smiled his – I love you smile? 

Theseus opened his mouth to reply – to apologize – to beg Albus for the forgiveness that it seemed, miraculously, he might actually be inclined to give. But Albus wasn’t done.  
“Now – if you _actually_ want to leave the country, then go. Maybe I’ll come with you. But Hogwarts is an exciting place to be when you are here with me. And Minerva is leaving at the end of the term – to go work at the Ministry, funny enough. They will only hold the position for her through January – they will give it to someone else if she stays at Hogwarts through the end of the school year.  
“The Headmaster knows that I would much rather teach Transfiguration than Defence, and has asked me to take her place. I had been planning to ask you at lunch on Sunday if you would like me to suggest that you be invited to take the Defence position. Which would provide Travers with a more than adequate excuse for your departure – much better than, ‘You are an idiot, and I hold you responsible for all of the deaths in Paris.’” 

Theseus rubbed his face with both hands.  
“I’m the idiot.”  
“Well, less of an idiot than Travers, but –“  
“But that is not saying very much? Albus, I’m so sorry. You’re right. I promise not to do it again.”  
Albus gave Theseus a look that he hadn’t given him in years. It was the look he gave a student who had given an, at best, partial answer.  
“Unclear antecedent, dear. You promise not to do what again, exactly?”  
“Right,” Theseus breathed out, unsteadily. “I promise not to come up with schemes to manipulate you into behaviour instead of actually talking things through with you.”  
Albus rolled his eyes. “No. You can’t promise that. Your brain goes a mile a minute. Instead, I suggest that you promise to try not to actually _follow through_ on any plans to manipulate me? And to listen if I suggest that that is what you are doing?” 

“I can do that. I – gods, Albus – I love you. You know that, right?”  
“I do. Now I need you to try to trust me, too.”  
That would be harder. Theseus hadn’t even noticed he was distrusting Albus in the first place. 

/////////////// 

As soon as they had returned from supper in the Great Hall, before they had even sat down, Theseus summoned the lesson plans for the next day’s double NEWTS Defence class.   
“I think we need to make some changes.”  
Albus flopped onto the sofa, put his head in his hands, and groaned, “Nooooooo...”  
“But Albus –“  
“Why can’t you leave well enough alone? Why do you have to obsessively tweak every detail up until the last minute?”  
“It is not the last minute – it’s 7pm the night before. We have 12 hours before it counts as ‘last minute.’” 

“Theseus. We are supposed to be having sex right now. Argument, resolution, sex. It is the natural order of things, and we had to delay the last step all day because of work. Now here we are at the end of the day with nothing that needs doing. It has been three days. The one time we had sex, it was ‘we are in denial’ sex. Now, when the time comes for ‘I love you, and all is right with the world’ sex, you suggest, ‘instead, let’s rewrite our already completed lesson plans!’” 

Theseus was surprised. “Oh – well – you hadn’t said...”  
“You hardly gave me a chance, did you?”  
Fair point. 

Theseus sat down on the sofa next to Albus, and leaned his head on his shoulder.  
“Albus is needing make-up sex. Noted. But if you want me to be paying proper attention to you, and not have half my brain reworking our curriculum, then perhaps you will allow me thirty minutes to run some things by you first?”  
“Thirty minutes.”  
“Or less.”  
Albus sighed. “You drive me crazy, you know.”  
“I know, Love.” 

Nevertheless, Theseus, as always, was undeterred. “Now, I was thinking – the reenactments we talked about – showing them real life duels that happened in the field – most of those are great, but I don’t think that we need to do quite so many.”  
And – as they both knew – they had not gotten to practice very many of them before the post-argument duel moratorium.  
“So what do we do _at the last minute_ to fill the space left by removing a duel or two – or three?”  
“A melee.”  
Albus turned suddenly, jostling Theseus off his shoulder. “Are you – you are serious! A melee? You mean –“ 

“I mean that we attack the students, yes.”  
“So – we’re not setting them against one another?”  
“Gods, no. Think of the score settling that might happen, and there would be no way to know who to blame. No. The two of us against – what do you think we could handle? Ten at a time? Would that make it fair? Once a week for three weeks – each week we take on a group of ten for, say, twenty minutes, or until one team has no one left standing, whichever comes first.” 

“For three weeks?”  
“Yes.”  
“You’re staying then.”  
“Of course I am!”  
Albus rolled his eyes. “’Of course I am,’ he says. Like he wasn’t getting ready to leave the country up until this morning.”  
“What can I say? My Albus is very persuasive. If you’re happy with me here, and I’m happy here with you, then it would be stupid to leave. And your bed is quite comfortable. Even with you in it.”  
“You Arse!” Albus laughed, pushing Theseus over. Theseus popped up just enough to pull Albus down on top of him. 

“Oh!” Albus smiled, a bright delighted smile. “Lesson planning is over, then?”  
Theseus didn’t say anything, but reached up and put a hand on the back of Albus’ head and coaxed him down so that he could kiss him, deeply, attentively, caressing Albus’ tongue with his own, feeling dragged down, drowning, drugged almost. Albus was everything. Everything.  
Albus broke the kiss, and looked Theseus in his eyes, just gazing at him for what was probably ten seconds but felt like hours. “Let’s take our time tonight, Love? I want to map every inch of you with my mouth. I want – would you be comfortable with – I know we haven’t but –“  
Jesus, this was becoming excruciating. Was he ever going to say – whatever it was? 

Wait. Why was Albus getting up?  
“Albus?”  
“Sorry, Love. I don’t want to ask you and have you feel obligated –“  
Albus was up and pacing around, so Theseus sat up on the sofa.  
“Whatever it is, Albus – I want you to tell me, ok?”  
“I – “ Albus stopped and turned to look at Theseus. “How would you feel about being inside of me?” 

Oh!  
“How have we not had this conversation yet?”  
“Please tell me we are not back to having a conversation.”  
Thesus laughed. He stood up and pulled Albus to him, kissing him lightly.  
“No. We don’t need to have a whole conversation right now. I think it is enough to say that I can top, absolutely. But first - tell me properly that you want me in you?”  
“I want to feel you in my arse so badly. I have been imagining it more and more, and tonight –“  
Theseus growled, and tossed Albus over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. With his free hand, he slapped Albus’ arse, and as he walked them towards the bedroom he promised, “I am going to stuff you so full of my cock, you are going to have to stand for breakfast.”  
Albus groaned, and Theseus smiled. 

//////////// 

Late in the night, Theseus woke to find himself alone in bed. It had been a couple of awful days, but the make-up sex tonight had been unparalleled, and had left Theseus feeling both sated and relieved – and that they were stronger than they had been before he had fucked everything up on Sunday.  
But maybe Albus didn’t feel that way? There was a light shining under the door – was he having trouble sleeping?  
Theseus got out of bed, cast a spell on the door to keep it from making any noise when it was being opened, and peeked into the rest of Albus’ apartment. 

Through the doorway to the kitchen, he spotted Albus’ legs – he was clearly sitting in one of the kitchen chairs. Hmm. He had not made good on his promise to render Albus incapable of sitting.  
‘Which is a good thing, you maniac! Are you bemoaning not having maimed your boyfriend?’  
‘I wasn’t looking to _maim_ him, exactly, just –‘ 

Wait. Was that Troilus? Was Albus sitting in order to be more on eye level _with a house elf_?  
“Yes, Master Dumbledore. But if you will pardon Troilus, sir, Ellie is a most emotional elf. But you is a good man – Master Dumbledore and Troilus can be helping Ellie.”  
“Thank you so much, Troilus. I wouldn’t have the first idea what to do without your assistance.” 

Troilus preened. “Probably that is being true.” Troilus spotted Theseus and narrowed his eyes, clearly disappointed that he had brought up a child who would eavesdrop. As Theseus drew his head slowly back into the bedroom, he heard Troilus say, “Now yous get back to bed, Master Dumbledore. Yous is needing your sleep for all those many childrens tomorrow.” 

Theseus softly shut the door and padded back to bed. He was asleep before Albus had rejoined him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone knows of a good house-elf grammar tutorial -- then I will gladly consume it diligently and correct this fic! I am terrible at writing house-elf speech, and yet somehow could not help myself but to write an absurd number of house-elf OCs into this fic


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15  
Friday

Theseus opened his eyes to an unusually bright room, with an armful of peacefully sleeping Albus.  
This was not good. How had they slept in so late?  
“Albus, Love?” he said quietly. Albus made an adorable humming sound, clung to Theseus’ arm, and pushed back against Theseus’ inconveniently hard cock.

Theseus sighed, pulled his arm free from Albus’ grip, and rolled away from him. He spoke a bit louder. “Albus! We’re late.”  
“Whaaa - ?”  
Theseus grabbed his wand off the bedside table and cast a Tempus to confirm just how late they were. He swore when he saw the time – 9:15! They only had 15 minutes to get ready.

He threw on a dressing gown, and called out for the faculty elf that seemed most likely to be able to tolerate a sleepy Albus. “Polly?”  
The elf popped into the bedroom. “Yes, Master Theseus? What can Polly be doing for Masters Theseus and Albus?”  
“I’m so sorry to ask this of you, Polly, but I know you’ll do better than me. Albus needs to be out of bed, dressed for the day, and in his classroom in 15 minutes.”  
“Polly is happy to help! Polly is doing it right away, Master Theseus, sir!”

Content that Polly had Albus in hand, Theseus looked down at the bulge in his pants and ran his hand through his hair in frustration. There was no helping it – he was going to have to head to the shower and burn five minutes taking care of that problem. 

///////////

It was a good thing that he had spent so much time poring over the Defence textbooks, because Theseus had been meant to play a very minor role in teaching the Third-Years’ that morning, and he did not know what Albus had planned to teach with his time. So when Albus had still not made an appearance after Theseus’ review of DADA applications of their most recent herbology lessons, Theseus gave an impromptu lecture on vampires, grateful that it was early enough in the year that Albus likely had not gotten to that subject yet.  
As he was finishing, he noticed a quill spontaneously fall to the floor behind his desk. He smiled. House elf. Of course, it could be a student, but it was sufficiently subtle that it was unlikely to be a prank.  
So instead of starting a whole class discussion, as Albus always did, Theseus broke them into small groups to discuss why the killing of vampires might be prohibited, and whether they thought there ought to be exceptions to that rule, and if so, what those exceptions ought to be. Then he stepped into the office and, as he expected, saw Polly. 

She pulled at her ears, and Theseus sat on the floor in front of her.  
“Please don’t, Polly. I’m sure that you have done nothing wrong. What’s happening?”  
“Polly is a bad elf. Master Theseus said Polly be needing to get Master Albus to class, but Master is not be getting out of bed. Awake, yes, but not being moving, and is saying ‘Cold... so cold...’”

Theseus felt terrible. Now that he remembered it, Albus had felt entirely too warm when he was holding him this morning, but he’d been in such a hurry, he hadn’t spent any time thinking about it.  
“Polly – you have done very well. Thank you for coming to tell me. You were very clever to signal me without interrupting the class.  
“Can you please admit Madame Gregoria to Albus’ room? And once she has everything she needs from you, I’d appreciate it if you would tell Headmaster Dippet that I will not be able to see him until after dinner, as I will be taking all of Albus’ classes.”

She popped away immediately, and Theseus walked back into the classroom to a collection of fierce and increasingly noisy debates.  
He tried to shake himself out of his worry about Albus, but it wasn’t working. Perhaps it would be ok to let them go five minutes early? 

“Good work today – for your next class, I want you to write 10 to 12 inches on what legal protections vampires should have, if any, and why.”  
He made eye contact with each of the few wordy students. “No more than 12 inches. Any parchment I receive that is longer than I asked for will be cut off at 12 inches, and the excess will be incendio-ed.  
“When you hand them in next week, I am going to be shuffling them and handing them out to your peers to write a 10 inch analysis of your arguments. You will be graded both on your original paper, and on the analysis you write of a fellow student’s paper. Your original paper will not be graded on the basis of the other student’s response to your paper.  
“Any questions? Yes – Mr. Black?”  
“Where is Professor Dumbledore?”  
“In the infirmary, unfortunately. Please do not all pile in there. I am releasing you all early to allow me time to check on him before the next class. You have my word that I will feed the rumour mill just as soon as I am able. I’m sure you will know all there is to know about his condition before lunch is over. Anything more?” 

Theseus was sufficiently impatient not to wait for any replies before continuing, “Very well, that will be all.”  
When the last student exited the classroom, Theseus walked to the Infirmary as quickly as he could do without attracting notice. It was difficult not to run.

//////////

Theseus was glad that Headmaster Dippet had asked him not to come until 8pm. It meant that he had had time to check in on Albus again. He had eaten dinner in the Great Hall, so that he could assure anyone who asked that Albus was going to be fine.  
Madam Gregoria had released him after lunch – ‘But only if you can look after him. He shouldn’t be alone.’ It had been some sort of Muggle stomach bug, so she had been able to heal him, but he was still exhausted. It was a good thing that it was the weekend now, so that Albus wouldn’t have any reason to push himself.  
‘I don’t understand it,’ Madam Gregoria had said. ‘Where could he have picked up a Muggle illness?’ But Theseus knew exactly what had happened. As an apology gift, Theseus had apparated into Edinburgh on Thursday morning to visit Albus’ favourite Muggle bakery – Albus had had the pastries for breakfast, while Theseus, who could not tolerate sugar first thing in the morning, had made himself rashers and fried tomatoes. The timing seemed right – eating pastries in the morning, then being struck ill in the middle of the night. 

“I’m so sorry, Albus,” Theseus said for (at least) the tenth time that day.  
He had meant to be getting a gift for Albus, and instead he had given him a virus.  
Albus smiled – his trickster smile? – and replied, “It isn’t as if you intentionally poisoned me. Or did you? I can’t think what I did to deserve it.”  
Theseus smiled. He felt a bit better – Albus was feeling well enough to tease him, which felt like a good sign.

Theseus brought Albus tea and soup, and entertained him with stories of that day’s classes. Which, predictably, turned into lesson planning.  
“I was thinking that, if we brought in a vampire to speak to the third years, it might give them a different perspective on the protection laws. What do you think?”  
“I bet you a week of lesson planning that you won’t be able to find one.”  
“That is a ridiculous bet, Albus. We both would prefer for me to do the lesson planning.”  
Albus laughed. “That is a fair point.”

Finally it was time to go see the Headmaster.  
Theseus bent down to kiss Albus goodbye, but Albus dodged.  
“I don’t want to get you sick, too.”  
“You won’t – Madam Gregoria said that the potion she gave you removed the virus from your system.”  
“She could not possibly know that for sure. If I’m feeling better tomorrow, you can kiss me then.”  
Theseus rolled his eyes, kissed Albus’ forehead, and left for his appointment with Headmaster Dippet.

////////////

“Ah, Theseus. Sit down. How is Albus faring?”  
Theseus sat. The chair was far too low. He discretely raised it a bit.  
“He’ll be fine. It was a Muggle illness, so Madam Gregoria was able to take care of it with no problem.”  
“Glad to hear it. You and Albus seem – close.”  
Oh dear.  
“Don’t worry, boy. It is none of my business. If anything, your – umm – presence here makes it much easier to find a Defence teacher than it would otherwise have been. But the students – such relationships are still illegal, even if only nominally so – assuming you have a relationship of an illegal nature, which is, again, none of my business.  
“Until such time as the law may change, I would need for you to keep your own quarters. Even if you use them only rarely. In these cases, that is, if you have such a situation with Albus that it would be desirable for the two of you, the castle has been known to provide a door that will allow travel between quarters even on opposite sides of the castle. That way you would never need to be seen leaving Albus’ rooms in the early morning. Is that fair?”

It depended upon what was meant by ‘fair.’ It did seem that he ought to have the option of marrying Albus one day, so that they could live together openly. Barring that, it seemed that the Headmaster at least ought to be able to talk about Albus and himself in a less convoluted way. But that was not how the wizarding world worked yet. As such, this was honestly better than he might otherwise have expected.

Before he could answer, Headmaster Dippet continued with a wink, “It may take us some time to properly set up your new rooms. I imagine we will need at least two months after Minerva leaves.”  
Theseus nodded, as if seriously considering it. “That should be fine.”

“Excellent. Now, I heard something about a – melee duel?”  
“Oh! Yes. Albus and I duelled 10 – 7th year students. They did quite well. There were two still fighting when their 20 minutes was up.”  
“And none of them got you or Albus?”  
“Well, one spell struck me, but nothing serious. It may be that we should take on 15 students instead of 10 – that might give them more of a chance to take one of us out.”  
Headmaster Dippet raised his eyebrows, but chose not to comment on that speculation.

“This is the NEWT level class. There is no such requirement for the practical Defence exam. So what gave you the idea to stage such a duel as a classroom exercise?”  
“There are at least two reasons, sir. The first is that there are only two different Ministry departments which require a Defence NEWT: The Department of Mysteries, and The DMLE. So I can assume that, in this NEWT level class, there are future Hit Wizards and Aurors. I want these students, before they invest a great deal of time in a Ministry training program, to be aware that most battles are not fought one on one, but are relatively chaotic and fluid.  
“The second is that it is, I believe, a good life lesson for anyone that a single-minded focus on one problem can blind a person to another, equally serious problem. Life is complicated, sir. And we do the students a disservice if they leave here thinking that life is a simple problem that they have already solved.”

“Very good, Mr. Scamander. I like that you don’t back down, and that you don’t tell me what you think I want to hear. And I have had several professors tell me that they believe that the students are doing better in their classes because of the work you are doing with them in Defence. You have the job if you want it.”

Theseus did want it. He wanted to make lesson plans, and change them, and execute them. He wanted to see students get excited about things they hadn’t particularly cared about before. He wanted to keep reading their papers – to be reminded of how many different ways the same question could be answered correctly.  
And, stars above, he wanted to duel with Albus in the Defence classroom several nights a week.

That right there was the problem, though. What if this relationship didn’t work out? Then he would be stuck in the castle with Albus for months, maybe, avoiding one another. Teaching every day in a classroom they had had sex in repeatedly.  
Teaching at Hogwarts would be making a commitment to Albus for almost ten months at a time. And they had been together less than two weeks. 

But if he gambled against the relationship in the very beginning, Theseus realized, they would be more likely to fail simply because he had refused to believe in what he and Albus were becoming – and what they already were. Or he could place his bet on them staying together – and wouldn’t it be worth it if he were right?

“Thank you, Headmaster. I’ll take the job.”

/////////

When he got back to Albus’ quarters, everything was dark and quiet. Theseus cast a dim Lumos, so that he wouldn’t bump into anything on the way to the bedroom. When he got there, Albus was quietly snoring. A feeling of warmth washed over Theseus, watching and listening to his lover sleep – vulnerable, at peace. Gods, he loved this man.

Theseus tried not to wake Albus, and he almost succeeded, but Albus must have felt the mattress dip when Theseus got into bed, because he rolled over and asked, “Are you alright, Love?”  
Theseus smiled. “That’s my line. You’re the one who’s been sick all day.”  
“What did the Headmaster want? Do you have to move out?”  
“On the contrary – he wants me to stay and teach. On a permanent basis.”  
“Oh?”

Theseus laughed. “Don’t pretend you’re not curious. Or invested in my decision.”  
Albus pretended to pout, not very convincingly. “I’m sick. You’re supposed to be nice to me.”  
“Hmm. Ok.” Theseus took Albus’ hand in his own and began tracing shapes on his palm.  
“I said yes. I’m staying. I’m staying as long as I’m welcome here.”  
“You’re sure?” Albus sounded – hesitant. And a bit nervous. “You were so set on leaving.”  
“I only wanted to leave because I thought it was what you needed. But I was wrong. Besides, I like it here, with you.”  
“And – you can keep living with me?”  
“Kind of. We can still sleep together every night. I’ll tell you the rest in the morning. I don’t want to keep you up.”  
Albus huffed, but he didn’t argue.  
“I love you, Theseus. I’m glad you’re staying.”  
“I love you too. Now roll back over so I can hold you. I’ve been worried about you all day.”


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [carapheonix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carapheonix/pseuds/Carapheonix) asked for some jealous Grindelwald - not sure whether this qualifies, since it is jealousy at a distance?
> 
> This chapter also contains:  
Some reflexive jealousy and a stubborn failure to properly listen on Theseus' part,  
And, of course, a house elf.

Chapter 16  
Sunday 

“Where are you taking me?” asked Albus for the third time, as he followed Theseus to the apparition point.  
“For the last time, Albus, it is a surprise.”  
“I don’t really like surprises,” Albus complained.  
Theseus scoffed, “You live for surprises. Just – trust me that this is going to be a fun surprise.”  
Albus sighed. “Very well.”

When they made it to the apparition point, Theseus grabbed Albus’ upper arm in a very – friend appropriate manner, keeping in mind the Headmaster’s warning. They winked out of sight and appeared beside a stream, high in the Furness Fells. About thirty yards through the trees, Albus could just spy a stone cottage.  
He turned to look at Theseus. “What is this?”  
“Well, I don’t really want to live at Hogwarts over the summers – I am used to having my own small space – not a handful of rooms in a big shared empty building. So – I am considering this.”

“I – see,” Albus said hesitantly. “Theseus, I – we almost broke up last weekend. I’m not sure we ought to be buying property together just yet.”  
Theseus smiled and kissed Albus gently. “That’s fine, Love. While I would be delighted to share the ownership of a place with you, I was expecting to buy it myself. But I was hoping that you would be interested in staying here with me over at least part of the summer, as well as some weekends.  
“But if not – I don’t want to be anywhere that you are not, Albus. I love you. I love you so much. I’m not going to make the mistake again of trying to get you to go somewhere because I think that it would be good for you. I’m thinking about buying the cottage because I think it would be good _for me_.”

“So, if I don’t want to stay with you here - ?”  
“Then I’ll probably buy it anyway, as a place for me when I need a little time away from Hogwarts. The Lake District has always been a peaceful place for me. It would be good for me to have an anchor here, I think. Or it could be repurposed as a safe house. Lots of possibilities.”  
Albus smiled tentatively. “Well then, it seems we ought to go take a look at it.”

Theseus kept his composure externally, but if he had not been restraining himself, he would have been bouncing up onto his toes. When the estate agent had shown him this house, it was all he could do to keep himself from buying it right away. He was not an impulsive person usually, but there was just something about it.  
There were already some Muggle repelling charms in place. It was off the road and off the hiking paths – the only practical way to approach it was via apparition.  
The cottage had a slate roof and a magnificent view of the valley. Downstairs there was a sitting room, a kitchen, a bedroom, and a bathroom with a long deep tub – more than big enough for two.  
Upstairs there were two more bedrooms. Theseus thought he would probably use one for guests, and the second as a workspace for Albus, if he wanted to stay – or visit, at least.

Theseus opened the door to the house, and took Albus from room to room, telling him all of his plans for each room. After walking out into the back garden, Theseus chanced a look at Albus. Oh! Albus was smiling his ‘I love you smile.’  
“This is perfect, Love. You were lucky to find something like this.”  
Theseus turned back to look over the valley. “You think so? I think so, but – you think so?”

Albus bumped his shoulder up against Theseus, and put his arm around him. “You were really nervous about this, weren’t you?”  
“I didn’t want you to think that I was leaving you, or that I was trying to make you go somewhere and – well, yes, dammit! Last Sunday was – Jesus. The way things were at the beginning of last week? I never want to feel like that again.”  
Albus moved to stand in front of Theseus. “I’m so sorry, Love. It will get better the farther away we are from it. But yes, right now –“

Albus kissed him. It started off slow, but it deepened quickly.  
Albus broke off for a moment, and lay his forehead against Theseus’ while he caught his breath.  
“I suppose it is inappropriate to have sex in a house you don’t own yet.”  
“Inappropriate... illegal... yes.” Theseus smiled. “And I don’t suppose you particularly care about that.”  
Albus kissed him again.  
“No, not really. But I’m willing to concede the point if you –“  
Theseus interrupted, “Oh, no need. I’ve been fantasizing about bending you over that kitchen table since I first saw the place.” 

Albus’ eyes widened. “Oh?”  
Theseus smirked, and echoed Albus’ words from earlier: “But I’m willing to concede the point –“  
“Hmm. Our first time was in a kitchen, as I recall. Why shouldn’t our first time in this house be in the kitchen as well?”  
And Albus grabbed Theseus’ hand and dragged him into the kitchen. 

AD/GG/AD/GG/AD/GG

From the cottage, they apparated straight to Diagon Alley for lunch – and for Theseus to sign the papers at Gringotts. By 2pm, the property was his, and Theseus wanted to go back to the cottage directly, so that he could add Albus into the wards. But Albus said that he had his own surprise waiting back at Hogwarts, and it would be better for them to go adjust the wards after dinner.

They had only had just enough time to brew a pot of tea when Travers’ house elf, Ellie, popped into Albus’ sitting room. “Mr. Albus Dumbledore, sir. You had a task for Ellie? Something I cans be doing for helping my Master Travers and Mr. Theseus Scamander too?”  
Theseus looked at Albus suspiciously, but remained silent – ‘for now,’ he thought.

“Theseus is planning to resign from the Ministry on Monday. And when he does that, someone from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement will be sent to clean up after Theseus. With Theseus’ permission, I would like to ask you to go over to Theseus’ office today and remove anything that might upset your Master – especially anything that might lead him to do something – dangerous to himself, or to someone else.”

Theseus looked at Albus, astonished.  
“Albus!” he hissed. Then he turned to Ellie, “Please excuse us, Ellie. Can you wait right here for us? I need to take Albus into the kitchen, and –“ Question? Interrogate? Lambast? “- _speak_ with him.”  
Theseus stood up, took Albus’ hand, pulled him up off the sofa, and led him into the kitchen.

When they got there, Albus was smiling his insincere apology smile.  
“Somehow, I doubt that this is going to be as much fun as when I dragged you into another kitchen a couple of hours ago.”  
Theseus sighed, and gripped the hair on the top of his head.  
“Albus. Be serious. I was quite clear that I am not able to destroy any documents.”  
“True. But these documents would not be destroyed, just – procured. And you would not be the one doing the procuring.”  
“I can’t believe you just went off, and –“

Albus put his hand on Theseus shoulder. Theseus was tempted to shrug it off, but when he met Albus’ eyes, he decided to give him a chance.  
“Ok. Tell me.”  
“If you don’t want her to do it, she won’t. This is why I’m involving you. I wasn’t going to do it without you saying that it is alright. But I want you to consider it. There may be things in there that are of no consequence to the functioning of the DMLE, but that Travers could use to hurt you, or Newt, or – well, to be selfish about it, me for that matter.”  
Albus had a point. There was all sorts of information in his office that would just act as fuel for Travers’ insanity.

“Ok. Yes, you’re right.”  
Albus beamed. Affably arrogant bastard.  
“Oh no you don’t, Albus – don’t get used to me saying that.”  
“That’s fine – I’ll take it whenever I can get it.”  
They returned to the sitting room, and with Theseus having duly given his permission, as well as some more detailed instructions, Albus and Theseus settled in with their tea.

“Ellie seems to like you.”  
“Well, I followed your instructions – respect, small gift for herself, and small gift for her favourite human.”  
“Dare I ask who –“  
“Oddly enough, her favourite human is your brother.”  
Theseus choked on his tea. “Newt?! But her Master _hates_ Newt! And when does she ever see him?”  
“Yes, as I said - odd. But it is best not to argue with other people’s choices in these matters.”  
Theseus suppressed a smirk. Albus had just referred to a house elf as a person.  
“True.”

/////////////////////

Several hours later, Ellie returned with two bundles of papers.

She handed Theseus the first bundle. “This is being Mr. Theseus Scamander’s papers. And this,” she said, laying the second bundle on a low table and then stepping away from it, “This is being the papers from a bad bad wizard who is trying to hurt Mr. Theseus. Bad wizard.”  
Albus took out his wand and did a couple of detection spells.  
“These seem fine, Ellie – how did you know that the owner of these papers wants to hurt Theseus?”

“Yes, Mr. Dumbledore. They is being safe now – quite safe. Ellie fixed it.”  
“You – fixed it?”  
“Terrible spells, they was being terrible! Horrible!” She gingerly picked up a sheet of parchment, “This one is for giving Mr. Theseus the dragon pox,” and another one, “And this one is for giving Mr. Theseus the spattergroit,” and another, “And this one is for making Mr. Theseus not able to speak – he is only being able to sing bad nasty songs in German,” and another, “And this one is for making Mr. Theseus’ –“ Ellie started pulling her ears, “His – a part of his body to fall off. A very –“ Ellie began hitting her head against the wall.  
Theseus interrupted, “It is alright Ellie – you don’t have to tell us which body part.”

“Lewd songs in German?” Albus said, rolling his eyes, “I think I can guess which body part.”  
Ellie whimpered, and Albus apologized.  
Then he asked her, “Are they signed from Grindelwald?”  
“No sir, Mr. Dumbledore. They is just being signed with G.”

“And they got through the Ministry mail screening protocol?” Theseus was appalled. “With all those malicious spells on them?”  
“They was being very clever spells. It is not that the wizards were being –“  
Albus stopped her before she could start twisting her ears again. “Oh, Ellie. I’m sure they did their very best. But given what got through, as opposed to what you were able to find... well, I think that it is a shame that they have not put a couple of house elves in charge of mail security. You are so much more capable of handling this difficult problem. Until then – you would serve your master well to at least screen his mail, so that no one can harm him with clever spells like these were.”  
“Yes, Mr. Dumbldeore. It is being Ellie’s pleasure to protect her Master, Mr. Dumbledore, thank you!  
“But, Ellie – Ellie is doing a _good_ job?”  
“You are an excellent elf, Ellie,” Albus assured her. “You did a wonderful job.”  
“I has to be going now – Master Travers be calling Ellie.”  
“By all means – do not keep your Master waiting. Thank you so very much, Ellie.”  
“It is being my pleasure Mr. Dumbledore.” She curtsied and popped away.

Theseus released the teasing smile that he had been holding in while Ellie was with them.  
“Well aren’t you a surprise?”  
“Don’t gloat, Theseus. It’s unattractive.”  
Theseus leaned in for a kiss. “Is it?”  
Albus met his lips for just a moment.  
“No, it’s hot as hell. But – we need to handle this Grindelwald business.”  
“Do we really?”  
“Yes – responsible adults handle life threatening situations before running off to have sex.”

“Do responsible adults have sex on a kitchen table they do not own?”  
Albus laughed. “You know as well as I do that it would be just as easy to leverage that to argue that we have been irresponsible enough for one day.”  
“How about just a snog then?”  
“How about we read these letters and then snog?”  
Theseus sighed, “Fine, fine.” He accio-ed the bundle. “Let’s read them together.”

///////////

It took less than 45 minutes to read all of the letters.  
But it took almost two hours to discuss – and argue about them.  
It spilled over into dinner.

“The spells that Ellie described – I hate to doubt her, but so many people must have handled those letters – do you think that she could possibly have been correct about the letters being cursed?”  
“Oh sure,” said Albus. “Gellert was always very good at customising spells, and he could only have gotten better. He would have keyed the spells to your magical signature, or some biological marker.”  
“But how could Grindelwald have done that? I have only been in the same room as him that one time!”  
“You were holding off his spell with a spell of your own. That would have been the perfect cover to siphon off a sample of your magic for future use.” Albus started to look excited. “Brilliant.”

“Brilliant?! He was going to use it to torture me remotely, maybe even kill me slowly!”  
Albus sighed, “I’m not saying it was an admirable use of magic. I was simply saying that what he achieved was not just difficult, but unheard of – both keying of the curse to your magical signature, and managing to mask the curses in such a way that they passed through all of the Ministry safeguards unnoticed. Just one of those two would have been a breakthrough!”  
Theseus groaned. “You _do_ still love him. Why did I think I could ever –“

Albus lashed out. “For all the gods, Theseus! I do not still love him. But you are going to need to get over that I was in love with Gellert for a long time. I knew him intimately, and there are parts of him that I see in Grindelwald still. As disgusted as I am by what he has chosen to do with it, I am _always_ going to be impressed by what he is capable of magically. That doesn’t mean that I love him more than you, or even that I love him at all! Just – fucking get over it! Please!”

Theseus was silent for a moment. Stunned. Grindelwald had tried to kill Newt and himself. He had succeeded in killing Leta, and dozens of Aurors – on just that one day. That was not even accounting for the many that had died at his hands or the hands of his followers on other days. And Albus wanted him to _get over it_?

“Grindelwald said in one of his letters that I should know that you would never love me as much as you had loved him.”  
“He has said a lot of things. Are you going to believe this one, when you don’t believe any of the rest?”  
“That’s not an answer.”  
“You didn’t ask a question!”  
No, he hadn’t. He was too afraid to ask. So he changed course.

“He said that he knew that we were working together – that I had ‘moved in’ with you. How could he know that?”  
“We teach hundreds of students here, Theseus. And they all write letters home. By now, half of Britain knows. Anyone could have told him.”  
Theseus took a deep breath. Which unfortunately gave Albus an opening to continue.  
“You had told me that he was irrational about Newt, but I had no idea!”  
“I told you that he tried to kill Newt twice – I’m not sure why that didn’t get through to you.”

“Theseus. It is not that I didn’t believe you. It is just – it is different to witness it myself.”  
“And?” Theseus asked defensively.  
“And,” Albus said gently, “I am so sorry. So so sorry that I have this crazy ex who is never going to stop being a danger to you. And it might be that I should let you go to keep you safe –“  
Theseus looked panicked, but Albus held up a hand to stop him, “It might be that I should, but I don’t want to. I can’t. I’m selfish enough to want you even though it is endangering you for us to be together. I’m not going to make the decision for you. BUT – I want you to understand that _you_ have a decision to make. Can you live with this? This is not going to be the last time Grindelwald goes after you...”  
“You called him Gellert earlier,” said Theseus.

“Oh, Love. They’re two different people to me. Gellert is the young man that I knew a long time ago. Grindelwald is – someone that I don’t recognize, aside from a couple of facial expressions and habits of speech, aside from his dark humour and his magical abilities. It is of course complicated by the reality that Grindelwald’s history is Gellert’s history. I – that’s too difficult for me to think about, so I’m going to keep calling that long ago boy ‘Gellert,’ because that’s who he was – who he still is to me. But _Grindelwald_ could not be more wrong about me – I have never loved _him_ – never _belonged_ to him. And I never will.  
“Now. Knowing all of this – do you still want me?”

Theseus paused. He did. He wanted Albus so badly. But could he truly live with all of him? Could he live with Albus caring for Gellert while trying to find a way to take down Grindelwald? Could he live with Grindelwald hunting the two of them, even more than he had before? Was his life with Albus going to be a revolving door of jealousy? Or could he learn to accept what it meant to have Grindelwald insinuating his way into his life with Albus – could he be sanguine about it – come to understand Grindelwald as an outside force that was claiming far more relevance than he would ever have? Could he – make Grindelwald smaller in his mind than he was now? Could he let go of the need to dictate how large or small Gri–Gellert was for Albus? The need to dictate how Albus labelled the feelings he had had for Gellert?

“I – I do still want you. But it is going to be hard for me. I don’t do jealous quite so psychotically as Grindelwald, but – it is going to take me time to understand all of this. Right now, I still need to work on even _wanting_ to understand it. But I love you. And I’m not going to let some maniac, brilliant or not, tell me that I can’t have you.”

“Oh thank God!” Albus breathed, and he flew at Theseus, and hugged him.  
Theseus stiffened. “I – I’m sorry. Right now, I - I can’t –“  
Albus frowned. “What – umm. What can you –“  
Theseus started to walk away from the kitchen into the sitting room. But he soon noticed that Albus wasn’t following, so he went back for him. He laid his hand on his face, just briefly. Then he smiled what little of a smile he had, and said, “Come on.”  
He turned around, and this time, Albus followed.

////////////

Theseus lay stretched out on his side, his head in Albus’ lap. Albus was giving him a scalp massage. They were talking about their Monday classes. And suddenly, Theseus realized that he felt safe. Here, with Albus, felt like safety and home.  
“Albus?”  
“Yes, Theseus?”  
“I love you.”

Albus let out a heavy breath. “I love you too, Theseus. I love you.”  
Theseus sat up, and moved so that he was straddling Albus.  
“I know you do.”  
“You do?”  
“I do.”

He kissed Albus until they were both out of breath, and then he asked, “How would you like to go back to the cottage? We could add you to the wards, and then you could take your turn bending me over my new kitchen table.”  
Albus smiled, and kissed Theseus on his forehead, then his nose, then his lips.  
“Yes. Yes to all of that.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter! 
> 
> As it comes to an end, I wonder if I shouldn't have subtitled it: Theseus Scamander's Guide to Living Peaceably with House Elves  
LOL
> 
> Thanks for sticking with it, lovelies!

Chapter 17  
Following Saturday 

Theseus woke up to movement on Albus’ side of the bed.  
“Getting up?” he asked blearily.  
“Coming back. It’s nearly eight-thirty, sleepy head.”

Well. In his defence, they had been up late, moving furniture around the cottage. (‘I think the sofa would look better here,’ and ‘why don’t we try the bed against that wall instead,’ and so on.) Albus had agreed to stay with Theseus there this weekend, but they had had a bit of work to do getting it ready.  
And before that, instead of going to dinner, there had been another ‘interrogation.’ (Dumbledore had refused to give up the names of any of his co-conspirators, even after the most creative inducements, so Auror Scamander had been forced to – take drastic measures.) 

“I’m sorry I woke you up.”  
Albus did not sound sorry at all. Theseus turned his head to look at Albus – no, he didn’t _look_ sorry, either.  
Theseus smiled. “It’s ok. I’m not sorry to be awake.”  
Albus bent over Theseus and kissed him, and reached for his cock. “Oh! You certainly are awake!”  
Theseus teased, “Still – mmm – I feel I could be still more awake.”  
“Oh?” asked Albus, eyes sparkling, tightening his grip.  
“Perhaps your mouth...”  
“Yes, I do have a mouth,” Albus smiled.  
Albus was going to make him spell it out – good.  
“You certainly do. I would love for you to put that mouth on my cock, Albus, and make me come.”

“I think – that my mouth would like to explore a few other places first.”  
Theseus groaned.  
Albus laughed. “Ok, perhaps only one or two other places.”  
He vanished Theseus’ pyjamas, and summoned some oil. He coated two fingers, and then began running them slowly over Theseus’ hole.  
“And after you have come in my mouth – may I fuck you slowly until you beg for mercy?”  
“Jesus, fuck, Albus! Yes, please!”  
Albus slowly began to press in his finger. Theseus whined, “Pleaaaase!”

Albus’ mouth, which had so far only been at work on Theseus’ chest, apparently decided that it did not, in fact, need to spend all that much time exploring, because it descended on Theseus’ cock suddenly, unexpectedly, and Theseus reflexively bucked up his hips.  
His eyes flew open, “Albus! Gods! So sorry!”  
Albus removed his mouth to reassure him, “It’s ok. I was prepared for it. Did you not even notice that I was holding you down?”  
Huh. That’s right. There had been some resistance, but, how? Albus’ hands were both – otherwise occupied.  
Albus grinned wickedly. “Magical restraints are much more versatile than most people know. Even Aurors.” And he winked.  
Then he sucked on the head of Theseus’ cock teasingly before removing his mouth to say, “We could talk about this now, or – “ then he put his mouth back on Theseus, working his way down as far as he could comfortably go, and then lightly dragging his teeth against Theseus’ shaft on the upstroke.  
Theseus was – completely unable to form thoughts aside from “yes!” and also “yes!” and sometimes “there!”

After a minute or two of wordless noisiness from Theseus, Albus removed his mouth again, and asked, “So what will it be, Professor Scamander? Would you like your lecture now or later?”  
“Gods, Albus! Later!”  
“Are you sure? It is a very interesting subject. What if I am not able to concentrate on your body appropriately until I have...”  
“Dammit, Albus!”  
Albus laughed, and kissed him, “I love you.”  
Then Albus returned to where he had been before.

Theseus was close, it wouldn’t be long before –  
“Nngaaaaaah!!” Theseus filled Albus’ mouth with cum, and Albus swallowed it before removing his fingers from Theseus’ arse, and climbing on top of him.  
“May I?”  
“May you what?” Theseus asked, smiling.  
“May I – fill you with my cum now?”  
“Mmm. Yes, please.”

/////////////////

Theseus did not remember falling back asleep, but he found himself waking alone in bed, in a room bathed in sunlight. He wasn’t wearing any clothing, and he was pleasantly achy. He sighed happily and stretched before summoning his dressing gown and slippers. Then he walked out of the bedroom. Something in the kitchen actually smelled good. ‘Albus must not have cooked something,’ Theseus thought, laughing to himself.

But before making it to the kitchen, he had to pass through the sitting room. They had worked so hard getting the furniture just so – perhaps he could just sit for a moment to admire –  
Wait.  
“Albus!” Theseus called.  
“Coming!” Albus popped out of the kitchen wearing an apron (!) and carrying two mugs of –  
“Coffee?”  
“It’s cold out this morning. It just – felt more like a coffee morning to me. But I can brew you some tea, if – “  
“No, coffee is great. But – Albus?”  
Theseus swept his hand, in a gesture meant to encompass the whole room.

When Theseus and Albus had gone to bed the night before, there had been only a few things in this room:  
A sofa, two chairs, a few small tables. Theseus had only moved in enough furniture to enable them to stay the weekend comfortably.  
Now, there were built-in bookshelves on either side of the fireplace, just as Theseus had described when walking through the cottage with Albus the weekend before. And the shelves were already half full with books. His favourite blanket was draped over the back of the sofa, and there was another on one of the chairs by the fire. There were footstools – Theseus had completely forgotten about footstools last night. There were four pairs of reading glasses, scattered around the room. This made Theseus laugh in astonishment. Those must be for Albus. He had a bad habit of not carrying his glasses on him, and then becoming annoyed when there was not a pair ready to hand in whatever random place he found himself.  
And there were photographs, and souvenirs of Thesesus’ travels, and –

“Albus. How did this – how did you - ?”  
“Well, it wasn’t me so much as it was Troilus.”  
“Troilus?” Theseus repeated, incredulously.  
“Yes, I – wanted to do something for you, to help make this feel more like home for you. I didn’t know when you would find time for it yourself. But – this is not the sort of thing I know about you yet. That is – I don’t know which of your things are your favourite things. And I didn’t know which photographs and other things would make you happy, and which might instead dredge up unhappy memories, so – Troilus was the only real solution. I knew he’d know what you would want – what books would be most important and so on. It seemed just possible that he might even know you better than you do.”  
“You asked – you asked Troilus.”  
Albus smiled, “I did.”  
“And you told him – all of that, about how well he knew me and so on.”  
“I did.”

“Albus – I’m – I don’t know what to – thank you.”  
Theseus was up off the sofa now, running his hands over the bookshelf that hadn’t been there the night before. There were a few books he would need to add, and a few on the shelf that he didn’t need, but overall –  
“But I do not believe that Troilus did the books,” said Theseus.  
“What?” asked Albus, in a completely unconvincing display of ignorance.

“You’re right that Troilus knows a lot about me – I can believe that he was responsible for all the rest of this, but these books – only you would know that I wouldn’t actually want the majority of my Defence texts here, because I need them at the school, but that I would want several supplementary texts here, as I’m likely to not be able to leave the lesson plans alone over the weekend. And the books on duelling with all of your lewd annotations?”  
“They’re not lewd!” Albus protested.  
“They most certainly are, Love,” Theseus countered, lip twitching in suppressed amusement.  
“Confess, Dumbledore – you already know me well enough to populate my bookshelves for me – brave of you, but not, as it turns out, foolhardy.”

Albus got up, and stood beside Theseus. He took Theseus’ hand and kissed it.  
“Fine, yes, guilty as charged. I take responsibility for the books.”  
“And for contacting Troilus in the first place.”  
“And for contacting Troius in the first place.”  
“And for – how did you manage to win him over?”  
“Well, a wise man once told me that every house elf is different –“

Theseus rolled his eyes, “Flattery is not necessary in this case. I would like to hear the end of the story before I die of starvation.”  
“Well, you yourself had said that Troilus was going to give me a great deal of trouble. And that he thought I was at best incompetent. So I decided that it was best to go over the top. So in addition to a gift for him, I gave him gifts for two humans: Newt and your mother. And then I asked him for a great deal of help in learning about house elves and making amends with other house elves. He guided me on the matter of what to task each Hogwarts elf with, he completely brokered the reconciliation with Travers’ elf Ellie, he –“

“Wait. Albus, where did this come from?”  
Theseus was holding was a wizarding photograph of Theseus and Albus talking and laughing in the pub in Edinburgh. Albus was stealing a chip off of Theseus’ plate, in spite of there being plenty of chips left on his own.  
“Oh, that.” Albus looked a little embarrassed. “Do you – like it?”  
“I adore it – but how did you get it? There wasn’t anyone there with us that night.”

Albus gathered his thoughts for a moment.  
“You never use your camera, Theseus.”  
“That is not true. I just – use it rarely.”  
“You use it rarely enough that I felt confident that you wouldn’t notice if it went missing for a little while. I disillusioned the camera, and charmed it to follow us around and take pictures. And before you ask, I was able to turn the spell off and then back on again. It was probably following us only, say, two to three hours most days? I wanted to have some photos of us together that were really of us, who we are together. Not – posed, I guess.”

How had Albus even managed it? That was an extraordinarily complex piece of magic.  
“That – Albus! You charmed the camera, and just let it go on its own? You didn’t direct it?”  
“Well, it’s not sentient. I just – the instructions are built into the charm.”  
“But you don’t have to tell it every time?”  
“No, you um – just have to say _Adnota_, and – “  
“And then it manages to take pictures like this? Knowing how to frame a photograph takes time even for wizards to learn. I never would have imagined that a charm... But, wait. You don’t have photos in your rooms at Hogwarts at all. When had you ever used such a charm before? Did you learn how to do it just for us?“  
“Not exactly." Albus' left hand raised about six inches, and fell back down, as if he had been about to rub the back of his neck and stopped himself. Nervous, then.  
"I invented it last Sunday.”

“You invented -?” Theseus was stunned. “That’s – Albus that’s extraordinary!”  
But then the second part of that sentence hit. “Last Sunday?”  
“Yes, it was the cottage that gave me the idea. I thought you would be wanting some of your personal things here, and then I thought that you have so many photographs, and then I thought that there were no photographs of us together, and I – wanted you to have one. Or two.”  
“_That part_ makes sense to me, Albus."  
It did make sense, but more importantly, it was adorable that Albus seemed so self-conscious about wanting Theseus to have photos of the two of them together. But he didn't need to bring that up just now.  
"The part that puzzles me is how you found time last Sunday. We were so busy!”  
“Well, there was the time you spent in Gringotts...”  
“That accounts for less than ninety minutes.”  
“And after you fell asleep on Sunday night.”

Thinking back, Albus had been difficult to wake on Monday morning. At first, Theseus had worried that he was ill again, but it had become evident fairly quickly that he was just sleep deprived.  
“And I didn’t feel ready to test the concept until Monday.”  
When Theseus had been out for a walk before dinner, most likely. Albus had, atypically, declined to join him.

“Troilus deserves the credit for this, too, you know.”  
“Oh does he?” Theseus asked, a bit irritated. He was not at all done giving Albus credit for such a brilliant piece of magic, invented just for the purpose of giving them pictures of the two of them together. It was the sweetest, best gift ever, and it made Theseus want to push Albus up against one of these very sturdy looking shelves and snog the breath out of him.

“Yes – this was the gift that I gave Troilus for you. He loves you, you know – just as much as he does Newt and your mother. I know you think he likes Newt best, but I think that he is more protective of you, in some ways. He just shows it differently. So – I wanted to give him a gift for you, too.  
“I handed him the stack of photos, and a couple of frames, and I had him choose which ones he thought were best to frame for you, and he chose where to put them in the cottage. I am fairly certain that, sometime after you got up and came out here, he put one by the bed.”

“Troilus!” Theseus called.  
Troilus appeared instantly. “Yes, Master Theseus?”  
“Excellent work, Troilus. I love it. Thank you for all of your hard work.”  
“Troilus is being pleased to help Master Theseus. And Master Albus.”  
Theseus raised an eyebrow. ‘Master Albus,’ was it?

“Troilus, could you please, um – find something to help mother or Newt with for the rest of the day? I am so grateful for all you have done –“  
Troilus looked at the ceiling and muttered, then he looked at Theseus. “Troilus is being an old elf, Master Theseus. Master cannot be hiding things from Troilus! Troilus is knowing many things. You is only needing to be saying you want privacy, Master Theseus. You is not needing to stumble around your words like Troilus is not knowing about sex.”  
Theseus heard Albus make a “in five seconds, I am going to completely lose my ability to hold in this laughter” sort of noise, so Theseus did what he could to speed up the process of getting rid of the saucy elf.  
“Very well, Troilus. Thank you for your patience with me. Now, Albus and I would – like some privacy. For the rest of the day, please.”  
Troilus looked as if he were about to make a rude comment about them needing privacy _for the rest of the day_, but Theseus gave him a quelling look, and Troilus winked out. 

Albus finally got to release the laugh he had been trying to hold in. When he could breathe again, he said, “Troilus... the look on his face... so offended...”  
Theseus growled in frustration.  
“Can we please. Stop. Talking. About. House Elves.”

Albus smiled his most mischievous smile and replied, “You know, Theseus, there is just so much to know about house elves...”  
Theseus roared, picked up Albus, and threw him on the sofa. Then he climbed on top of him.  
Albus started laughing, so hard that when he spoke, the words merely punctuated the laughter.  
“And... another... thing....... about house... eeLLLLL!”  
Albus never finished the last word, because Theseus had started tickling him.

“What else about house elves, Albus? Go on – tell me.”  
“Mercy! Help! Someone – call an Auror!”  
That did it. Now Theseus was laughing too. 

When at last they had gasped and hummed their way back to normal breathing, Theseus picked himself up from where he had rolled off the sofa onto the floor. He got back on top of Albus and kissed him. After a long while, he broke away and put his hand on the side of Albus’ face. Theseus gently ran a thumb over the faint crow’s feet he had teased Albus about almost three weeks ago. He kissed him again, just for a moment. And then again.  
He sat back on his heels and looked Albus in the eyes.  
“I love you.”  
“I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we have arrived at the end! If this were a movie, the credits would be rolling over “This Will Be Our Year” by The Zombies


End file.
